Anonymous Hero
by Tiger of the Fire
Summary: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone’s experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life.
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: Prologue_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter: _2,462 _  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense.

Prologue

On the morning of November the second, a woman with a horse face and a long neck made her way outside of her house. In her hand was a carrier filled with empty bottles of milk. The family had a tendency to go through these quickly, but that wasn't surprising with the size of the woman's husband and what would probably be the size of her son. However, the woman did not expect to find a bundle lying on her doorstep. Peeking out of the bundle was the head of a little sleeping infant.

The woman leaned forward and got a good look at the child, her eyes widening in recognition. She knew the appearance that little boy had. She carefully set the milk container down and looked around. There was nobody else around in the early morning, which suited her perfectly fine. She did not need anybody seeing a little infant lying on her doorstep. She then looked up the stairs, hoping that her husband would not come down. He did not need to see what lay on their doorstep. She had yet to touch the sleeping child, but this wasn't unusual when it came to the woman.

She turned and walked into the house, not getting the child yet. It was a chilly November morning and she was grabbing her suede coat. It was a long coat, but made specifically for women. She then looked at her purse and keys and grabbed them. She needed to get them if she was going to go anywhere. The woman knew what she needed to do. She could not let this child live in her home, nor could she let her husband see it. He did not like children like the little one in the bundle of blankets. She may not like it herself, but she had to keep this child safe. She picked up the child, the letter that had been clutched into his fist falling to the ground and catching her attention. She looked at it and set the child down in her car. She then bent over and picked the envelope up. She read the front: _To Petunia Dursley_

She paled a bit as she recognized the handwriting that was scrawled with her name on it. Petunia swallowed. She sat down in her car, carefully closing the door and opening the letter. She didn't want to wake up the child, so she kept it as quiet as possible. She opened the letter and read the words that were written to her. She knew she wasn't going to like them the moment that she saw them.

_Petunia,_

_Last night your sister was murdered by the Dark Lord Voldemort. Her husband was also killed, leaving their son an orphan. There are some blood protections that can be cast upon your home to keep all of you safe, but he needs to stay at your home to make sure of this. Please take care of him._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Petunia just sat there, staring at the world for a moment longer. She didn't know what to make of it. She was being told that someone would cast protections on her house to keep her family safe. The thing was that to do so she had to keep the person that would likely endanger them in her home. This was not okay in the woman's mind. She looked at the sleeping child and shook her head. She couldn't do this. She knew that her husband would react badly, and she knew that she just couldn't expose everyone around her to that. She had to do something.

She turned the car on and backed out of her driveway. She then began to make her way out of the neighbourhood. She looked over her shoulder and out the back of the window of her car. The little child slept next to her. There was no reason for the baby to wake up. She took a deep breath and drove away from her home of 4 Privet Drive. Petunia focused on her driving, taking deep, solid breaths. There was nothing she could do. She had to focus and that's all that mattered right then. At that specific moment, as she drover further away from her home, she began to think over what she was going to do with the child. 'Where can I leave him? I cannot place him anywhere in town, there's a chance he'll be brought back to my house. No, I need to take him away from here all together.' Petunia focused on her driving as she thought over the places she could leave the little boy.

The woman didn't take any notice of the fact that she was going over places to leave a child, she was only worried about her own family. The infant's wellbeing didn't matter in that moment. All that mattered was that she kept her family safe. What she had read told her there was no chance of that. She didn't want to subject anyone to that mess. 'I know, I'll go to London. There are enough homeless people there. That's a high chance he'll be fine.' With that decision made, she turned onto the road out of Little Whinging and towards London. A few cars were on the early morning road, but there wasn't major traffic. It would make her driving easier. She focused on the road, not on the child she would be leaving.

Partway to London, the little child began to wake up. He mad a noise and started to move a little bit. His arms escaped from the confines of the blanket and stretched out in front of him. They faced towards the air. Petunia took no notice of these movements. She kept her eyes trained upon the expanse of road towards London. She had to get rid of this child. In her mind, the quicker she did so, the better it would be for her.

It took a little bit, but London came into view. Petunia went over the different streets she knew of, but she didn't have that much knowledge outside of places that weren't in central London, on the west side at least. She automatically drove to the one area she knew very well. It wouldn't matter to her; many homeless people wandered around and might find him. The child wasn't her problem. She had her own son to take care of. She did give a slight thought that maybe she shouldn't leave the child, but she quickly pushed that out of her mind. The part of her that was a mother insisted that she had to. She focused on the streets that she knew of.

There were a few random people around early in the morning, but they held no significance to Petunia. She ignored them and just tried to find a place to get rid of the child. She finally pulled to a stop at an abandoned stretch of road. Nobody was walking this set of streets. She stopped her car at the curb and climbed out. She picked the child up and walked to an alley. The street she was at was on Vauxhall Bridge Road. She looked at the other side. She was at the corner, and the next sign read Victoria Street. She shrugged and set the child in an alley. The weather was cold in early November, but Petunia didn't pay attention. She gave the child one last glance and then climbed back into her car and quickly drove off.

What she was unaware of, was that someone had seen her leave the child. She hadn't seen them. The person was a young girl, her appearance no older than the age of ten. The truth was, she was fourteen. This girl came from the East End, White Chapel. Sometimes it was seen as the slums of London, to random people that didn't necessarily know. She was one of many East End children, alone and homeless. She had been alone all her life, that she could remember anyways. She walked up to the little boy and picked the infant up. He opened his eyes and revealed beautiful green orbs. She gave him a slight smile.

The boy watched her for a moment. He touched her face. "Mama." The girl frowned. She didn't think that the boy was referring to her, but she did think that the woman that left him was his mother. She sighed and felt sorry for him. It wasn't right that a mother leave their child.

"Nuh, I no' you mother. Me name is Jessica. I canno' do anythin' for yeh. I should take yeh to an Orphanage," Jessica said sadly. The little boy was cradled gently in hr arms. She had never held a child before, but it did feel natural to do so. The boy shifted a bit and made a little noise of frustration as he was still wrapped tightly in the blanket. All that he had free was his arms.

A boy walked up to her. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked down at the boy and blinked. "Jessie, wha' with the kid?" He looked back at the brown haired girl with one of his nearly invisible eyebrows raised. This wasn't right in his mind. He didn't understand what was going on.

"Sean…'E's a child. 'Is mum left 'im." She looked at her friend, a pleading look on her face. He shook his head and wanted to convince her that there was nothing she could do. Of course, that just wasn't Jessica's way.

" 'E's a child Jessie. 'E canno' take care of 'imself. 'E'll jus' be trouble," Sean said. He wanted Jessica to understand that they had to look out for themselves. He didn't want her to take on a responsibility that would be too much for the fourteen-year-old. The two had lived on the streets their whole lives and they had learned to take care of themselves. They had run into each other by accident, but Sean still cared for Jessica. She shook her head.

Jessica kept her eyes on the green eyed infant. "I wanna keep 'im. Sean, I dun care wha' yeh goin' teh say. He needs a place to leave." She was frowning when she turned her face to him. He scowled at her. He didn't want to see her take on a child. The two had to look out for number one. Of course, Jessica had a very big heart and that wouldn't matter to her. She was going to take care of the child.

"If yeh wan' teh take 'im, yeh can 'ave 'im. Yeh jus' get teh take care o' 'im yehsef," Sean stated. He didn't care whatsoever. Sure he cared for Jessica, but she was the one with the big heart, not him. He just wanted to keep her safe. She could do this without his help. He thought that maybe she would realize the trouble and get rid of the little boy quickly. That's what he believed at least. Children were trouble as far as he was concerned. They required people to have to actually have jobs. That was something that Sean thought was a waste of time.

Jessica gave a slight smile at Sean, even though he had turned away from her. She knew he wouldn't help, but the guy was a good person. He just didn't want to let people see it. She was the only one that ever did. "Thank yeh Sean, and I will take care 'o 'im."

Sean gave a shrug and looked over his shoulder at him. "So…Wha' yeh gunna name 'im?" He had one of his blonde eyebrows raised. Jessica knew he wasn't curious, but he would ask anyways. He always asked, but his curiosity seemed to be at zero.

She looked at the two street signs. She knew how to read thanks to the library, which accepted them. That place never kicked the children out, but they would get strange looks. She then looked down at him. "I'll name 'im Victor Vauxhall. It's teh place I found 'im," she said. She was proud of that thought. Sean raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He then looked around and grabbed Jessica's shoulder and dragged her off. The two needed to leave before people woke up. There was also the fact that since Jessica insisted on keeping the child; they would need to find something for the kid to eat, as well as themselves.

A/N: I will quickly admit that this is a pain to write in this manner! I'm an English person, meaning everything is supposed to be spelled correctly. So yes, this was difficult, I hope everyone enjoys it though, this is what I was working on for a while. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 1_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter: _2,274_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry, the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 1

A young boy with somewhat mangy black hair watched the tourists walk by. The area he lived in was known as White Chapel. He had been there, living on the streets for as long as he could remember. Now and then the woman that raised him would manage to get enough money to let them stay in a room overnight. It was difficult, but he had grown up to be use to the cold streets. Right now the two stayed in an abandoned apartment complex, but soon it would be demolished and they would have to find yet another place to live.

This little boy was known as Victor Vauxhall. He was small for his size, growing up on the streets had been the major cause. The woman that had taken care of him, a brown haired woman by the name of Jessica, came up behind him. She touched his shoulder. Victor looked up at her, his black fringe falling back from his forehead to reveal a highly scarred patch of skin. She touched the scars and sighed. "Yeh canno' jus' run around Victor." Victor looked back out at the oblivious tourists.

"We need teh gi' started." He pulled away from her and walked off, leaving Jessica. Jessica sighed and shifted her top. She didn't like what went on, but she knew Victor was right. The two did what they could to afford any sort of food or place to live. She would often prostitute herself to manage it. Free clinics gave out condoms, that made her life easier in that respect. She sighed once again and began to walk the opposite direction that Victor had made off.

Victor on the other hand made his way towards the heart of the area. As Victor said it, tourists could be rather oblivious when it came to their money. This usually resulted in him taking from their pockets. Victor was on the look out, watching for any particularly oblivious tourist. It was one thing that the young street urchin enjoyed. He liked to watch the vast array of people that would mill around the old centre of White Chapel. A lot of the tourists seemed to only be interested in the old Jack the Ripper stories and sites. Victor had seen them before. He found those to be good places that he could steal from people. They were usually all too busy to pay attention to their wallets. Victor watched as some people milled about a café, enjoying whatever cups of tea they could have. He didn't think about the fact that there was food there; he was waiting for someone he could steal from. He had to get money for him and Jessica.

Victor saw an unusual man walk by, but he didn't pay much attention to him. He set his eyes on an interesting man. The man was a bit on the hefty side, but by the way he was talking to a woman next to him, it was obvious that he wasn't from around there. As far as Victor could tell, the man was an American. His accent sounded like all those from the area. He waited silently as he crept behind the man. He was too busy to notice if there were any other people watching him. Of course, with most of the people being tourists, they took no notice of the rather mangy looking street kid. Victor ran on by, purposefully bumping into the man.

Victor had known for a long time that something was different about him, and took advantage of that difference to get the wallet. The wallet appeared in his hands as he ran and the man was none the wiser. He smirked to himself and went around the corner. He was unaware that the unusual man had seen him and was now following him. The man was frowning at him, but he just tried to catch the small, nimble boy. Victor was just making his way through the streets and darted down an alley.

He looked through the wallet to get the cash. Victor didn't care about the ID, though it did confirm that the man was an American, nor did he care about the credit cards. He needed what he and Jessica could use, and that was the cash. They were street people after all. He found the bills, quite a bit of money. That was partly why Victor went after tourists, they always seemed to be pretty stupid and carry a lot of cash on them. He looked at the wallet. "Alright, I dun need yeh anymore." The wallet then disappeared, to what he assumed was the man's pocket. He never knew what happened to them, but he always returned the wallets once he had the cash, at least that was before he discovered his little magic trick. So he made sure to think of where he wanted them to go, but he had no certainty that was indeed where they went.

He went to stuff the bills into the pockets of his dirty pants when he was suddenly grabbed around the wrist. Victor made a startled noise, as his arm was pulled above his head. He was smaller than children his age were meant to be, but he said it was an advantage. It allowed him to have a chance at escaping from people bigger than him. He looked up, the bills still scrunched into his hands. He saw the unusual man standing above him, he tried to see if there was some way he could talk him out of the situation he appeared to have found himself in.

The man watched him with a somewhat strict face. He was frowning at the boy's actions, but at the same time he looked over the messy little child. The older man's hair was a sandy blonde peppered with grey all throughout. He even had a pair of amber eyes. Those eyes were what drew his attention, more so than any of the scars that were there. He had never seen eyes like that.

Victor's own green eyes had dulled a long time earlier from growing up on the streets. He wondered what the man would do, if anything. There was something about him that was particularly unnerving to the young man, but at the same time felt a tiny bit familiar. Victor pushed all thoughts of familiarity aside. He didn't need the situation to get more out of hand than it already was. "I saw you take that wallet young man." The man's voice sounded kind, despite the fact that he was scolding Victor for stealing the money.

"I gave teh wallet back." Victor looked at the man pleadingly. The man didn't let him go right away, instead his eyes flashed onto the pound notes clenched in the tiny hands. He looked back at Victor and tried to assess him. He could easily tell the street rat part, but his eyes immediately snapped to the riddling of scars across his forehead. There was nothing to disconcert about the scars in general, but they took up all of his forehead, kind of giving his forehead the appearance of mincemeat.

"What is your name?" The man was trying to get Victor to speak with him. His expression had softened. Victor noticed that the grip on his arm had not changed, but figured there was a chance that the man would let him go if he played the right cards. He wasn't an idiot after all; he knew an advantage when he saw it.

"Victor…Victor Vauxhall, wha' is yeh name?" He gave a smile, not that it looked that great with the yellowed teeth to which it the immediate thought that they probably had cavities came to the older man's mind. He watched at Victor's green eyes tried to appear like the wide innocence of youth that many would expect of a child his size. The man however knew that they were anything but that innocent.

He cleared his throat and looked at him. "My name isn't important right now. Right now what is important is what you did to get that wallet, that and you should return the money as well." He was putting off telling the boy his names for reasons that he didn't really want to reveal at that particular moment. He knew what giving his name would likely do, but he didn't know the boy.

Victor scowled. "I give yeh me name, an' yeh jus' ignore me. An' tis is why I nev speak wit' anyone." He struggled to pull his arm out of the man's hold. It didn't do much, as he was practically on his toes. The man either knew that letting Victor have his feet completely on the ground was stupid or that having them completely off was just a way to cause a shoulder injury. He glared up at the man trying to get something out of him, or at least to get his feet on the ground. He couldn't kick the man too well when he had to use his toes to keep him from having a sore shoulder. Victor's instincts were already running wild and they were screaming at him enough as it was.

The man sighed and looked Victor directly in the eyes. There was something a bit unnerving about the green eyes to him, he didn't know what it was. He let out a slight breath and looked right at the boy. He knew that something needed to be done. He had an inkling of what it was supposed to be, yet the nagging feeling in his mind would not leave him alone. "I was not ignoring you. I heard your question as I stated through my name not being important. I wanted to speak with you, since what I saw you do was something that needs a proper education attached to it. That's not something you'll get if you continue to live on the streets like this." He knew that would at least get the boy to listen to him, even if he didn't like that. The man had a feeling that the boy did value knowledge of some kind.

The boy stopped and stared at the man. There was no way he had heard him right, at least that's what was said in his head. "Education? Are yeh kiddin' meh?" He shook his head and let his struggles stop completely, though his arm began to hurt and there was a subtle numbness starting to dart through him. He continued his gaze onto the man in hopes that some kind of answer would be forthcoming. That was a taunting bit of information for Victor, especially with the fact that he knew there was much more to the situation than he was being told. He didn't believe for an instant that there was any way to learn more, and besides, it wasn't like he was doing anything that bad. He always made sure people got their wallets back, just not the cash. If he could have just taken the cash, he would have.

"Yes, an education. I'm sure you would want one." The man smiled at Victor, glad that he had finally stopped his struggles. Of course, Victor wasn't completely done and he wouldn't be until he got an answer to what he wanted.

Victor shook his head. This man really was taunting him, or so his mind told him. He knew there was no rational way for him to get such an education. He was a street rat that only knew how to read and write thanks to Jessica's teaching him and the fact that he could go to a library when he was able to take showers. That was it. There was no money for him to go to school, and Victor wasn't an idiot to think that anybody would send him to school. "Yeh are messed up Mister. I nev'r git an education, so the lie teh meh is stupid on yeh part." He then went back to struggling against him. There was no way that he could escape the grip, but he knew that there was enough knowledge to let up.

"There is Victor." The man watched as the young boy struggled, but his tiny demeanour and small size lacked the strength to really do anything. "If you would just listen I will show you some interesting things that you could do as well. Then when you're old enough, you would be able to go to a school and not have to worry about it. How old are you anyways? Six, maybe seven?" He didn't have an idea, and Victor was too small in his mind to be even close to eleven-years-old.

Victor looked at him like he was mad, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping open. "I dun' no my actual age. Jessie tol' me tha' I am probably nine or ten, I've been wit' her nine years." He looked at the shocked expression on the man's face. He didn't know why he told him, other than the fact that he didn't like to be confused for a six or seven-year-old. He knew he was small, but that drove him insane to be said that he was so young. "Now are yeh gunna tell meh yeh name?"

The man looked at him and sighed. He didn't want to believe that this boy could be close to eleven. Of course, there was only one way that he would know for certain. He let out a slow breath. "Well Victor, my name is Remus Lupin, and you happen to be a wizard."

A/N: Well there we go the first chapter. I hope that everyone likes this chapter. It took time to write, but here it is now. Hopefully the rest will go a little bit better. Later.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 2_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,149_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. Also this chapter is dedicated to a good friend of mine, the-mpreg-spirit, a good friend that needs cheering up.

_  
The man looked at him and sighed. He didn't want to believe that this boy could be close to eleven. Of course, there was only one way that he would know for certain. He let out a slow breath. "Well Victor, my name is Remus Lupin, and you happen to be a wizard."_

Chapter 2

Victor stared at Remus with a raised eyebrow. He had just been told that he was a wizard, and, as Jesse always told him, magic was not real. It was an easy fact to believe since he lived on the street. Victor thought the man to be very crazy, but the fact that Remus stood in front of him was the only thing that stopped him from running off. There was something about Remus that seemed familiar, not that the feeling was very strong. It was there just enough to stall him in any attempts to run off.

Victor finally looked at Remus. "I dun believe yeh." Remus slid a long piece of wood out of his sleeve. Victor stepped back from the sight of the stick. He was a little freaked out by the sight of what he was thought was a beating instrument. "Wha' yeh gunna do wit' tha'? Yeh nuh gunna beat me are yeh?" He was trying to keep as much distance between himself and Remus without appearing rude. If there was one thing that Jesse had taught him, it was manners. He knew enough to get away with being polite when he needed to be, even in a fight or flight situation. Flight was a more normal reaction for Victor, but he could fight when needed. At least often enough that he could find out if a person meant to hurt him. So far Remus hadn't appeared like that, but the appearance of the stick did not help to put his mind at ease.

Remus looked at him. "This is called a wand. It is used to cast spells." Victor's eyebrow went up once again as he heard that. So far Remus had sounded like he was crazy, for he made no sense to the young boy at all. With the man thinking that magic was real, Victor wanted to just run off, but that curiosity he was often getting in trouble for was acting up just enough to keep him rooted to his spot. Remus waved his wand at a nearby box, which floated as soon as he finished. Victor fell onto the ground in shock at the floating box. He did not know what to make of that.

His eyes were wider than anybody would have thought possible. He watched as Remus' wand pointed towards the ground and the box came to a rest once more. Victor's heart pounded in his chest. "Tha' nuh real. Yeh playin' wit' meh." He shook his head over and over again to try and get the image out of his mind. He couldn't believe what he had seen, and yet something deep within him told him that everything was real. That he wasn't being tricked with one of those illusions he heard some of the American children talking about when they walked with their parents. The thing was, he couldn't be sure that someone was just giving him a fanatical idea.

"It is real Victor. This is what magic is. You have that ability, I saw it. You used it to get that wallet." He stopped after that. The wheels in Victor's mind were turning rather quickly. He had a decision to make, yet he wasn't sure what he would get from it.

The two were watching each other, attempting to figure out what was happening and what was going to happen next. "Wha' would I git out a bein' a wizard? I dun' even know wha' yeh gettin' at." He was thinking of his words very carefully, despite the fact that they sounded rather childish. There was also the very fact that everything Remus said sounded way too good to be true. In Victor's mind that meant someone was not telling the truth.

Remus sighed and put his wand away. "Being a wizard means going to school, getting an education and learning about who you are. There are those that find children like you and watch over them. I'm one of those people, and I want to make sure you can get a chance at becoming an adult wizard." He watched as the young man just looked at him strangely.

Victor wanted to say yes, but there were so many stipulations that he did not understand. He had taken in a lot already, and he wasn't sure exactly what everything that Remus said really was. There was so much going on that he couldn't be sure. "I dun' git wha' yeh talkin' about. Yeh sayin' people find people like meh and make 'em go to school. Wha' is teh point? It not like I am worth yeh time." He frowned at Remus. The man seemed to be slightly amused by what Victor was saying, but that did not mean too terribly much.

"Do you know how to read? Can you write?" Victor blinked at those questions. He nodded a slight bit. He had learned thanks to Jesse, she had known enough. Plus public libraries were not ones for necessarily kicking people out. Jesse had believed that he should at least have the very basics in case some things were to ever get better. It was as he thought over what he did know that he felt an urge to talk to Jesse. She had been the one to raise him for so long; she would have understood what to do.

Victor looked at Remus. "I need teh talk teh Jesse." Remus looked at him slightly curious, but didn't ask. He instead stepped out of Victor's way. Victor looked at him. With everything that went on, and while he didn't trust him, he knew that if there was any chance for a reality then Jesse would have to meet him. Victor could never figure it out, but Jesse could tell when people were bending the truth. She always explained it as a sixth sense, but Victor wasn't so sure anymore. "Yeh need teh come wit' me. Jesse need teh meet yeh." Remus nodded and began to follow Victor.

The two walked in silence. Victor's mind was on so many things at once, and he wasn't sure what to make of everything. He hoped that Jesse was in her usual spot, for he knew that she needed to answer some questions he wasn't even sure how to ask. He glanced at Remus every now and then. Remus was watching him, but at the same time also watching where they were heading.

Victor finally stopped and went to a girl sitting on a stoop. "Hey Jesse, yeh need teh talk teh tis man. He is sayin' sum strange t'ings." Remus looked at Jesse and watched her. The young woman took a look at him and gave a smile. Remus instantly got the feeling that this was not going to be easy, but he would have to convince them. He nodded to her; it was time to start talking.

A/N: Hey, sorry this chapter is not as long as intended; it has been difficult to write. Hope everyone likes the chapter. Later.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 3_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,514_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

From last chapter: _Victor finally stopped and went to a girl sitting on a stoop. "Hey Jesse, yeh need teh talk teh tis man. He is sayin' sum strange t'ings." Remus looked at Jesse and watched her. The young woman took a look at him and gave a smile. Remus instantly got the feeling that this was not going to be easy, but he would have to convince them. He nodded to her; it was time to start talking._

Chapter 3

Jesse watched Remus in silence as she waited for him to talk with Victor sitting beside Jesse as the two spoke. Remus immediately began to realize they were in too public an area to speak about what they needed to. He let out a breath. "Can we go somewhere to speak more privately?" Remus felt nervous, more so than when speaking to just Victor. He knew that she wasn't a witch, or she would have likely already been to school. He could tell that this wasn't the case.

Jesse stood up. "Lets." She began to walk, Victor following behind the two. He was watching as Jesse did not look happy. She would not let anybody try to fool Victor; he was essentially her son. They got to an abandoned alley and Jesse led them in. Remus looked around the alley, but mostly saw boxes and grime. Jesse leaned against the wall and crossed her arms under her chest. She waited for Remus to speak with her about whatever it was that Victor called strange.

Victor on the other hand went and hopped onto a box to watch the two in silence. He had already heard what Remus had to say, it was now Jesse's turn to see if the man really was telling the truth, though Victor believed him after what he saw. The only thing that had really changed since Remus convinced Victor was that they were in a different alley and that Remus had to win over Jesse. He looked between Jesse and Remus, wondering when someone would begin to speak. "Jus' tell 'er wha' yeh tellin' meh." Remus glanced over at Victor and let out a slow breath. He wasn't sure exactly what to expect when talking to Jesse. He knew that there was a bigger chance of something going wrong since she was not a magical person at all. Yet she had been taking care of Victor, so that meant she was considered his guardian of sorts.

Remus cleared his throat to hopefully get the words out without stumbling too much. "Well it's like this, Victor is a wizard." He stopped there. He knew that was a little pathetic, but what was he to say when he wasn't sure what could get him in trouble or not. He didn't think that a lot of it would get him into some kind of problems, but that didn't mean he wanted to press his luck. "There is a school for children to both learn about and control magic. Those that are born with it that is. Victor is one of these people. I saw it with some of the stuff he did earlier. He already looks to have some control over wandless magic. I was offering him a place to stay so that he could go to school." He watched as Jesse glanced over at Victor. The boy shrugged, though he knew that Remus had definitely done something with the box in the other alley.

Jesse tilted her head to the side. "Well…Tha' is interestin' Mister. Yeh claimin' t'ere is magic. Well, prove it." Remus did notice that she didn't have as strong an accent as Victor, but put it down to her being older than he was. He knew that there was a chance that Victor would lose the accent. He had seen it before after all.

Remus pulled out his wand. He had hoped that he could do all of this without having to show her real magic, but it appeared to not be the case. He kind of understood why these people would be sceptical, but it was slightly annoying. He levitated the box that Victor sat on. Victor yelped as the box he was on began to float for a tiny bit. Remus sat it down and looked at Jesse. Her eyes were wide and appeared to be stuck on disbelief at what she was seeing. "That was a simple levitation spell." Jesse's mouth had dropped open as she watched this, but registered what Remus said. She turned to him instead.

"Tha' is sum't'in'." She then stood up straight and walked over to him. "Yeh sayin' tha' Victor is one o' tes people, people tha' can dun magic?" Remus nodded in response to that. He had to do a little work to figure out what she said, but he got the feeling that she wasn't about to let Victor go without her. He could tell that she was extremely protective of her. "W'ere yeh gunna take 'im? I no let 'im go anywhere wit'out meh." She looked right into Remus' eyes to watch as he thought over what he would say.

"As I explained to Victor, it's not that uncommon. There are people like me who find those that are abandoned and take them in. We raise them and give them a place to live. The Ministry does give money, but that's not as important to me as making sure someone can have a place to live and get an education. Everyone deserves a chance after all. That's more what I care about, other people you might see would care more about the money they would receive." Jesse seemed to think it over as she looked at him. She understood what he said, but at the same time she was still sceptical. She glanced over at Victor to see how he was going to react.

The young boy shrugged at her. She knew that he did deserve better and that Remus was trying to grant it, but that did not stop the problems her mind came up with in regards to trusting a stranger. That's exactly what he was to both of them. She had done everything she was able to make sure that Victor had some things, even if it did not work all that well. "Wha' dun I know? I canno' be sure I kin trust yeh. Yeh are speakin' a lot of t'ings, but I still dun know." She was watching him intently.

Remus sighed and looked at her. "Miss, I do want to do this for him. He does deserve that chance. Plus he deserves to know about part of himself that he would never get to otherwise. This would give him opportunities that he would never have if he were to ignore his heritage. I give you my word that you can both come with me." Remus was trying anything. He knew that she was watching him, almost like she was trying to read him for some reason. That left Remus feeling just a bit unnerved, since he wasn't sure how to feel about being read by some woman that he didn't know.

She gestured for Victor to come over. The boy did quite quickly. It was obvious that he cared for Jesse as much as she did for him. She kneeled down and looked at him. "Wha' do yeh t'ink? Should we?" Victor looked into Jesse's eyes and nodded.

"I t'ink we should. 'E canno' do us 'arm. 'E is sayin' sum't'in' tha' make sense teh meh." He nodded to her again and looked at Remus. It was true that it did make sense to him. He just wondered if the man was trustworthy according to Jesse. He wanted to believe him. There was something that felt right about what Remus said, even if he wasn't sure what it was. Victor was a young boy that didn't necessarily have a lot, but he was quite smart. He also knew a lot more than he let on. He just never knew when it was the right time to tell people that he knew something.

"We will do it. Yeh do anyt'in' funny and we be out o' t'ere." Remus nodded in response to what Jesse said. "Yeh seem like yeh tellin' teh trut' anyway, I dun sense yeh lyin'." That shocked Remus, but he kept it off of his face. He let out a breath and nodded once again. Jesse stood up.

"Is there anything that the two of you need to pick up before I show you to my place?" They both shook their heads. What they did have didn't mean anything to them. That meant that there was no reason they needed to go back and get it. Remus let out a breath and gestured for them to follow. He didn't live too far away from there, but he wasn't in the exact area. The two followed him as they walked in silence. It was strange, but at the same time it all felt right. Jesse looked at Victor and knew that at least he would get a chance at something, even if the man was crazy. Victor was glad that Jesse could get something decent. It was all about what to expect, and right then the two just thought that Remus was trustworthy. Yet his proof of magic did appear a little farfetched, but that didn't matter. They would have something to do, and Remus had opened up one opportunity, that was all that was important, and always would be.

A/N: There we go, finished. Probably felt a little easy, but as said before, Jesse has learned to tell when people are lying and when it feels like it. Later.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 4_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,506_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

End of Last Chapter: _Jesse looked at Victor and knew that at least he would get a chance at something, even if the man was crazy. Victor was glad that Jesse could get something decent. It was all about what to expect, and right then the two just thought that Remus was trustworthy. Yet his proof of magic did appear a little farfetched, but that didn't matter. They would have something to do, and Remus had opened up one opportunity, that was all that was important, and always would be._

Chapter 4

The duo followed Remus towards his home, nobody willing to break the silence that had over taken the small group. Remus looked over his shoulder as he walked up the steps to his flat. It was a brick building with the only way to distinguish it from the other buildings, and that was to look at the brass number on the wall near the door. Both Jesse and Victor looked around, the two finding the sameness a little dull. They didn't often look or come near people's flats; it was a good way for bad things to happen to them. They were more likely to be separated from each other for that, something neither wanted to happen. Not everyone would look at their actions and see them as non-threatening. Some would just view everything they did as horrible and in need of being taken away, but that was the life they had grown use to.

Remus held his door open to them, a gesture that they were not use to. Jesse looked quite nervous, but walked in regardless. She still felt that Remus was trustworthy, but she kept her hand on Victor's shoulder just in case they needed to leave quickly. Her heart pounded in her chest as Victor squeezed her hand and looked up. The young boy was still willing to trust her judgement, though she thought that she might be a little crazy in that moment. Remus walked in behind the two, sighing as he closed his door. Jesse raised her eyebrow, keeping Victor next to her as the duo looked at Remus.

Remus gave them a smile. "Sorry if you're a little freaked out. I know this likely is a bit uncomfortable. Come on, let's head to my kitchen and we can have a cup of tea while we talk. It has always been easier to talk over a cup." He walked down the hall, his two guests looking around the nicely decorated hallway. There were a few pictures on the walls. Jesse's eyes were bugging out of her head as she noticed that the pictures were moving. Victor's eyes widened as well when he laid eyes upon the photographs. He had to blink a couple of times. Remus looked over his shoulder and saw them staring at the pictures from his life. "Oh, those are wizarding photos. They move unlike the kind you are use to seeing." He had a smile on his face as he shared that bit of information with the newcomers. He was glad that they were not screaming at the top of their lungs.

The two nodded and quickly followed Remus down the hall. The images were just enough to freak them out, causing the two to look straight ahead and not take in any of the other decorations. The kitchen was very white, a metal tea kettle on the stove standing out against the other white appliances in the room. Remus began to move around as he went through the process of making them tea using the Muggle methods. Victor finally found the table and chairs in the room, even though he nearly missed them because they blended in with the rest of the kitchen. He sat and looked at Jesse as she joined him. The two were silent in their surveillance of the man that was showing them so much kindness. Remus looked over his shoulder, glad that the two were sitting down. Victor cleared his throat. "Wha' yeh gunna do? Yeh keep talkin' 'bout school, but yeh dun say much 'bout it yet." Victor cleared his throat afterwards. For some reason he found that his throat was not being the most cooperative. It appeared as if he was unable to feel free around anybody else, yet he sort of felt relieved in Remus' home. It caused his throat to close up with some feeling he was unable to identify.

Footsteps came down the hall stairs. Both Jesse and Victor looked towards the kitchen entrance. Their posture was stiff; Victor clung to Jesse's arm like a life line that might be taken away. Remus did not react to the thumping from the stairs and then the hall, except with the action of pulling out a fourth teacup and putting tea bag in the cup. He was more focused on his task instead of the person that was coming towards the kitchen.

A young girl walked into the kitchen, one that was older than Victor. Jesse took in the girl's appearance. She was a thin girl, her hair a medium brown that was cut into a nice bob. She appeared to be developing into a woman, but was still young enough to tell that she was in the early stages of puberty. The girl glanced over at Jesse and Victor, not batting an eyelash at them; instead she picked up a cup of tea and sat at the table. Remus brought over the rest. "Sorry if you two were startled. This is Arianna Stiles, she's my ward. I took her in when she was four. She's fourteen now." Arianna smiled at the two as Remus set their teacups in front of them.

Victor looked at the cup of tea, staring into the murky caramel brown depths. He didn't say anything to any of them. He still thought about what had happened and what he had heard. His eyes turned to Arianna. She was sipping her tea, her eyes flashing a tiny bit as she realized he was looking at her. She had on a button down shirt and a pair of jeans, but by the glistening of her face it was easy to tell that she had been in the shower. She at Victor full on and smiled. "Well hello, you already know my name, what is yours?"

Victor looked at her, his eyes widening at the rather sudden question. He hadn't expected someone to actually ask him. It was a bit unusual. "Uhm…Victor, Victor Vauxhall." She chuckled and nodded, taking another sip of her tea in the process. Nobody spoke in the room. It seemed more important to focus on the tea that they had been served.

Jesse, on the other hand, had enough of the silence. "We came 'ere. Now yeh tell us wha' we need teh know." She watched as Remus set his cup on the saucer. He was not speaking too quickly, but she did have enough patience to keep from demanding an answer. She could still feel the good vibes that came from the man, who she had noticed had a tiny bit of grey hair sprinkled among his sandy blonde. She let out a slight sigh as he remained silent just a bit longer.

Remus cleared his throat. "You won't need to know anything Miss. It is something I want to help with. Arianna here was my first ward. She used to be on the streets herself. She did not have Victor's advantage of having you to help her. She is a young girl, and has been here for years. There are others that were older than her that came and went. Arianna is the last one, as the one older than her graduated just last year." He nodded to the girl that was sipping her tea and watching the conversation happen.

Jesse looked back at her. "'e treat yeh right?" Arianna looked back and nodded. She gave a smile and looked at Remus. The young girl had her tea on the saucer.

"Yes he does. He is a wonderful man and does what he can to help. He gives his word and keeps it. Plus he believes in honesty. That is Remus Lupin. If he brought you here, then he knows that Victor here is a wizard. Yet he's not separating you two because you raised him. I would trust him." Jesse could sense the truth behind Arianna's words. She nodded and looked at Victor. He held onto her hand. The decision was hers, but she knew that Victor would go with anything she decided. He knew that she would make the right choice for the two of them. There was never any question if she would or not. Jesse only wanted what was best for him, which really made Victor think of her as a mother. Remus watched the two and knew that they would take a bit of convincing.

"You two can go upstairs. We have some spare clothes if you would like, and Arianna can show you to the bath." Both looked at Remus and nodded. It was nice to at least get a shower in their mind. That part was alright. It would take a bit of time to trust him, but they knew that everyone had been speaking the truth. Arianna stood and gestured them to follow. The two wanted a bath, something they didn't often get. They would take it slowly, no matter how odd it felt. There was no reason to trust completely, but they could at least listen. Listening was always good.

A/N: Alright, here's chapter four. Once again, seems a little too easy. But it continues with the whole, sensing truth thing. Don't worry, they may be amendable because of the truth being told, but they will not be trusting immediately. So no worries. Also, hope everyone has had or is having a wonderful holiday. Later.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 5_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 2,600_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. In another couple of chapters, you'll start seeing a bit better language from Victor.

Chapter 5

Jesse and Victor rejoined Arianna and Remus after they finished with their showers. Both had been provided some nicer clothes, something they had been a bit dubious about accepting. They ended up doing so on the basis that their stuff needed washing. Victor did not pay attention to either Arianna or Remus, though the two were talking in a companionable manner as they waited. Victor looked at Jesse, wondering whether or not she would have something to say to them. They had spoken about a few facts when they were upstairs.

Jesse finally decided to gain the attention of their hosts. "'Ello, is there anyt'ing yeh 'ad in mind for today?" Remus' head snapped over to Jesse. He didn't answer right away, a fact that was little odd for him. Arianna looked over at Remus and gave a small smile at the sight. She knew that he generally had an answer for everything; it was nice for her to see something different.

She decided that it was time to cut in. She sensed something about Remus that she hadn't expected and did not want to get in the middle of. She cleared her throat. "I will take Victor into the living room. You and Miss Jesse can speak with each other about what is going to happen." She smiled and gestured for Victor to follow her. He frowned as he was unwilling to leave Jesse. "She'll be alright Victor, come along. I might as well learn a few things about you." Victor saw Jesse nod. He followed her into what could be seen as a sitting room.

He looked around the room to see a simplistic design. There was a beige couch, books, bookshelves, a fireplace, and a rug. There was nothing in the sitting room that Victor thought would be able to stand out, other then the fact that there was no television. He figured that everyone had them, he heard people speak about shows they had watched the previous night often enough. He looked around to see if the television was hidden in some corner. He frowned at the lack of one. "W'ere teh television?" Arianna looked at him with her head titled to the side. She then gave a smile at the thought of the piece of Muggle technology.

"We do not have a television. They are not really normal in Wizarding homes as they don't work. Generally we sit and read books, or do homework in my case. Do you know how to read and write?" She waited to see what Victor would say. She had been taken in when she was young enough to learn those skills at the appropriate age. However, she had seen some of the older ones that Remus had taken in not know those basic skills. She had the thought that Victor might be like them.

"I can read, I dun write much. Jesse show me some when we at teh library." He looked up at the woman in front of him. He was telling the truth, and nobody had asked him if he could write. The most Jesse had really shown him was the letters, but they hadn't been able to stay long enough to do anything more. It wasn't because of the people at the library; they were kind enough to let him read. It was that the duo generally didn't get a chance to do much writing with the little pencils and paper the library had.

Arianna nodded and tilted her head to the side. "You know, I do not know how old you are. Do you?" Victor shrugged. He did not really want to go into the fact that he wasn't sure what his exact age was. He figured that someone would probably point it out. He wasn't going to make any assumptions when Jesse told him what she had. "Maybe we should get Remus to do a test in that regards." Victor's eyes widened at that as he hadn't thought such a thing was possible. It left him feeling a bit more startled than he had expected.

"Yeh can do a spell teh find meh age?" Arianna nodded in response to that. She knew that it was startling to him, but she was trying to think of ways to help the boy relax around her. She had noticed that his posture had not changed. He did not appear to want to leave Jesse in the room with Remus, yet had because she essentially told him to. She had a feeling that also played a part in his reaction to what she had said.

She cleared her throat after a moment, noticing that the boy had kind of disappeared into his own little world after she confirmed his answer. "It's not as accurate as a potion, which most people can use. It gives the age and the round about birth date. If we were to use a potion, then we could get an accurate date. This one will give us the closest that it can essentially figure out." She had learned about those spells and potions during the school year. She thought to herself for a moment, contemplating the idea of getting Remus to cast the spell.

Victor looked at her as she shook her head at something he didn't know about. He bit his lip and began to walk around the room, feeling a little nervous as he waited for Jesse to reappear. He hadn't heard anything to indicate that something was wrong. He knew that Jesse believed the man trustworthy, but he still felt that there was something a little disconcerting about him. He walked over to one of the bookshelves and saw a notebook. He tilted his head to the side. "Yeh 'ave a book outta place." He pointed to the notebook.

Arianna blinked and walked over to the shelf to look. She smiled and shook her head. "It's not out of place Victor. It's a notebook that Remus keeps here. He has had to teach a few different people over the years. Did you know that it's easier for him to find a job among the non-magical people? Well, he's actually a private tutor in certain subjects. He mainly does things in penmanship, reading, and history. He would do more, but he said that is enough in itself. I didn't really get it all, but he taught me my skills in the earlier stuff. He even helps me when I need it in history class; the teacher for that subject is VERY boring." She smiled and slid the notebook out of the shelf.

She flipped the notebook open and showed Victor. He looked at the papers. They were all written very neatly, more so than he had ever seen anyone do. The people who he often saw on the streets were not always writing very neatly. This proved true even for those that were from the more educated areas. "Nice 'andwritin'. I can see why 'e teach writin'." She smiled at him. She knew that there was more than just neat writing in there.

"These are all his notes. He writes down every method he teaches. Remus is kind of obsessive that way. If he finds that one method worked on one student better than another, he will write it down. Yet he gets very detailed and writes what they were working on, what it was the student didn't understand, how he explained it, what different behaviours that the student exhibited were, and then the method he suddenly figured out." Victor blinked and looked up. He hadn't seen more than one notebook, so that was a bit interesting to him. He would have thought there were more then that at the detail she as talking about. Arianna smiled at the confusion. "This is a self-expanding binder. It has spells on it to allow it to fit everything, but it looks smaller so that Muggles don't suspect something."

Victor was just looking at the book and not saying anything. A slight chuckle from behind them caught his and Arianna's attention. They turned around to see Remus in the entrance to the sitting room. Jesse walked over to Victor. The boy stepped away from the girl and over to Jesse. She put an arm around him. "We are gunna stay for a while. I believe 'e can 'elp yeh." Victor noticed that she sounded a little bit frustrated. That usually meant that Jesse had come to a decision that might not make her very happy, yet she made the decision because she knew it was necessary for Victor. He didn't like her making choices that made her unhappy.

"We dun 'ave teh. We can leave." She shook her head at that one. She tilted his head to make him look her directly in the eyes. Victor watched the woman that had been raising him. Neither spoke a word, but he nodded a moment later. It was obvious to both Arianna and Remus that they had communicated in some manner, not that they knew what that was. Both suspected it had something to do with their eyes, as telepathy was not really a trait many people exhibited.

Remus cleared his throat. "What were you two talking about?" He looked between the two children. Victor was not in the mood to offer up any information. He was too focused on wrapping his mind around whatever it was that Jesse had communicated to him without words. Arianna instead decided that she would offer up the information that Remus had inquired about.

"We were just talking about a few different things. I told him what you do for a job and showed him your notebook. He noticed it, thought it was out of place on the bookshelf. We also talked about finding his round about age." Remus stared at her for a moment and nodded.

He smiled slightly. "I knew I was forgetting something. At times I can have things slip my mind. I was more intent on helping them that I forgot maybe we should find out exactly how old you were Victor." That drew both Jesse and Victor's attention. It was the first time that Jesse had heard about it after all. Remus nodded to her. "Well, I cannot find out his exact age, meaning his birthday, but I can find out his age and the roundabout birth date. It's all a very simple spell. I'm not that good at potions I'm afraid, so finding out his exact date is a little difficult." He nodded to himself after some thought passed through his head that nobody else was privy to.

Jesse held Victor a bit closer than before. "Why yeh do tha'?" She had calmed down to her more normal tone. Yet it was apparent to everyone in the room that she appeared nervous to know his age. Of course both were not sure how old he was, but Victor wanted to know. Saying he was either nine or ten did get old for him. Jesse was more like a mother that did not want her child to grow up, which was kind of how she viewed Victor. She never told him that.

Victor looked up at her. He wanted to get something through to her. He had this urge to know, more of a thirst to have some knowledge that would tell him a bit more about himself. He cleared his throat. She looked at him then. "I wan' teh know. It somet'in' about meh life I wan'." Jesse bit her lip. This was the first time she had even thought of it, though she still did not like the idea. Every part of her said that they would take him away from her if they found out his age. She did not want to lose him, yet she had to try and reason that she wouldn't.

Jesse let out a slow breath and looked at the boy. He seemed like he genuinely wanted to know. She knew that it was not trust that made him willing; it was more that he had to know what his age was. She couldn't blame him. "Alright…Yeh can find out." Victor smiled at her for that one. She returned the smile, glad that he was happy. She knew that she was doing the right thing, even if she somewhat didn't like it. She was blaming it on feeling like a mother to him after the nine years of raising him to the best of her ability.

Remus cleared his throat, his wand having moved to his hand during the duo's discussion. "Well, let's find out. Hopefully we'll find out a closer birth date. You'll learn more in your fourth year about all that stuff. Am I right on that?" He looked at Arianna, since she would have learned it more recently than he had. Even he had to admit that he was slightly curious as to what the exact result would show up for the young boy. He was just glad that he could at least get the age.

"Yes, fourth year. I just did that. We were lucky that you had that potion when you took me in. Too bad you can't get it again." Remus sighed when Arianna said that. He knew what she was talking about, but also knew at the time he had someone around that could make it. He hadn't had that in quite a while since.

"I know, but there's not much that can be done about it now." He shook his head and proceeded to change from whatever thought process his mind wanted to go down to something else. He cleared his throat and raised his wand. "Here we go. Revelare aetas." He waved his wand. A little white swirl came out, wrapping around Victor. Arianna had pulled Jesse away by that point. She did not want the result to get skewed because there was another person there.

The spell swirled around Victor, almost like some kind of tornado with more visibility. The spell suddenly flew over his head and began to form words. Everyone looked up, even Victor. His angle was a little bit harder to see from, but he stood as still as he could. He knew that someone would give it to him if he didn't see it all that well. What it spelled was: _Age 10, born August_. They all looked back at Remus.

Remus cleared his throat once more. "Well, it appears that you're ten. The whole month thing, well…It says August, which means that you could have been born anywhere from the middle of July to the end of August. Not really a good scale, but at least it gave us a month. It has been known to give this one big period of time. So I think you were likely born closer to the beginning of August if anything." He nodded and put his wand away. Victor saw the symbols disappear and looked around. He felt a little strange knowing his age, but that didn't matter. He looked at Jesse and stepped to her again. He hadn't thought about the possibility that he might have actually been ten, but it did seem a little nice to him. Jesse gave him a hug and nodded to Remus. At least one thing had been put to rest, even if more questions cropped up. However, they were just going to need to make it through the first trials of staying with people that would help them. At least they had the help, and that was what was important.

A/N: Yes, Remus is a tutor, but it fits him so well. The Latin phrase is to unveil age; this is the unconjugated version of to unveil. Hope people like the chapter. Later.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 6_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,390_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. In another couple of chapters, you'll start seeing a bit better language from Victor.

Chapter 6

A week had passed since the group had found out about Victor's round about age. Victor lay in the bed that Remus had provided for him. He smiled at how soft the pillow was, not having really felt one of that calibre in his life. He sighed. He and Jesse knew that there were a lot of things happening in their lives, but neither were sure exactly why everything was happening the way it was. Jesse had her own room in the flat, a fact that caused them to wonder how the place could fit all the rooms. Remus had explained it as dealing with magic, yet that did not make it easy for the duo to understand. They were still learning after all.

Victor turned over in the bed, wondering whether or not that he should get up. He knew that it was the day that Remus was going to start working with him on his penmanship, but he didn't want to get up. He sighed and buried his face into his pillow once more. A knock came upon the door. He groaned into his pillow as the door opened. "Yeh need teh git up Victor." He turned to look at the woman standing there. Jesse smiled at him. She was already dressed, wearing one of the outfits that they were given. Both her and Victor were a little nervous about accepting the clothes, but they knew that they needed them. They had agreed to cooperate so that they could learn.

Victor sat up in his bed. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear what sleep was still there. He was wearing only a pair of pyjamas, a pair that Remus had shrunken to fit Victor. He yawned again. "I'm up…I'm up…" Jesse went to get him some clothes. Victor let her, the woman always trying to take make sure everything was perfect. It was obvious to most people that she really wanted Victor to have everything he could.

Jesse set the clothes down and left the room. Victor looked down at the articles that Jesse had chosen. She had chosen clothes that Victor knew were shrunken from Remus. He shook his head as a thought jumped into his head from when he was a young six-year-old child. The thought wouldn't go away; instead it pulled him into that memory. It was a very different memory, one that he didn't really like to focus on.

_Flashback_

Victor shook a bit as he sat on the steps of the shelter him and Jesse were temporarily staying at. She was attempting to get some money for them, as she wanted them out of the shelter for a bit. Victor was not stupid; he knew what she did to get that money. He hugged his knees. He had stayed at the shelter that day, not really wanting to go anywhere. Of course, it wasn't like any of the others cared if he was there or not. He stared at the people that walked on by, watching as they ignored him and the shelter. He could remember all his life that people tried to pretend that the homeless didn't exist. That places that helped them were perfect, but way out of the way. The clothes he wore were donated, something he had grown use to. Yet that didn't matter with how small he was. It especially didn't matter since he knew that he and Jesse would likely be on the streets again in a week.

A loud group started to walk on by, drawing Victor's attention towards them. There were three of them, the kind of people that didn't look to be either tourists or from around the area. In fact, they seemed to be walking on by rather quickly. He only watched the three, taking in their appearances. The two men were fat; one was a young child around his age, though Victor almost couldn't tell by the child's attitude and appearance. The kid was whinging about not being allowed to get something he wanted. The adult male was like the child, incredibly fat and dressed in what appeared to be rather nice business attire. Victor thought all of that to himself as they went by. He could tell that the adults loved their son; it was in the way that they practically bowed to his whims. The woman happened to glance in his direction, her eyes widening as she ignored her son to stare at him.

The woman grabbed onto her husband's arm. "Vernon, let's go…Quickly." The man looked in the direction he knew his wife had looked moments earlier, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the boy in the worn clothes. He did not like how the child sat there. He bristled, his moustache twitching.

"What are you doing here? Get out." The man made a shooing motion at Victor, almost like he was trying to make a cat or dog to go away. Victor blinked at the man. He kind of wondered what it was about him that the man felt insulted about. He could tell that the morbidly obese man did not like him, though he hadn't even done anything to them. At least that he knew of in any case.

A woman came out of the building and looked at the man. "Excuse me sir, is there something I can do to help you?" She was frowning. Victor peered at the woman. She was one of the workers at the shelter. She touched his head. "Victor, head inside. I'll take care of this gentleman." She had seen the man's face go red when she asked a question. It had been a simple question. Victor nodded and went in. He knew that he could meet Jesse inside.

_End Flashback_

Victor shook his head to get the thoughts out. He didn't know what it was about staring at the clothes that made him remember that particular moment. It wasn't the first time that it had happened, though it wasn't completely normal for someone to take that big of an exception to him sitting there silently. He was use to being ignored. He slipped into the blue button down shirt and khakis that Jesse had pulled out. He was still trying to figure out why he had his little flashback at that particular moment. He rubbed his eyes and began to make his way down the stairs once he had finished dressing. "I need teh git it outta me 'ead." He shook his head once those words left his lips, for he knew that the thoughts were still there. They never completely left.

He bumped into Remus when he reached the stairs. The man smiled at the young boy. "So, ready to get started on your penmanship? I also want to test your reading skills. Some of the books at Hogwarts are a little difficult to read if you're not up to speed." Victor nodded to the older man. He wasn't in the mood to really answer him. Remus looked at Victor and nodded. He could tell that there was something on Victor's mind, but he wasn't going to press. He would let the young child come to him. He wanted to earn the child's trust, which was easier when he didn't try to push the situation. "Well, we'll need to get breakfast first, but we can get to work once that has been done."

He let Victor go down the stairs first, the boy's mind still on his random flashback. Victor glanced over his shoulder at Remus, but the man only gave him a smile. There were so many things happening in the young man's life already, and one more was only making him tired. He almost felt like something about it should have been important, not that he could figure out what it was about that flashback that seemed to hold that importance. He rubbed his eyes and sighed again. He had a day of learning ahead of him, which Victor was going to take advantage of. He looked over at Remus once more. "Thank yeh." Remus looked at Victor after he spoke and gave him a nod while smiling. That was all Victor needed to see, so he went back to focusing on the tasks at hand. It was easier that way, and he knew that.

A/N: A little shorter than the last chapter, but hope everyone likes it. Later.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 7_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,884_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. Someone asked about Remus being able to smell Harry. The truth is that a person's scent can change, and because of factors that cannot be mentioned yet, his smell has changed. That's why Remus is unable to connect Victor and Harry. Also, Victor can read and write a little bit; he's had practice via the library. I wanted to clear that up for anybody who missed me saying it before.

Chapter 7

Time passed for the group as they settled into a routine. Remus and Victor worked on the young boy's penmanship, which made Remus glad to know that he could read. He did work with him on raising that level as well as making sure he could write. He did not want the poor boy behind when he went to Hogwarts. He knew that there was a chance that he would be. Yet their day was going to be different from what was normal for them. They did spend some time in the morning working with both his penmanship and reading, but they were heading out that afternoon. Victor was excited, though he attempted to hide it from everyone. Jesse gave him a smile as she helped him get ready. They were in some of the nicer clothes that Remus had gotten them earlier in the week.

Remus was waiting for them near the fireplace as they all got ready to leave. Jesse looked at him, a little bit confused as to what was going to happen. He was searching for something on the mantle. He looked over his shoulder at the duo. "I'll be there in a second. Wait by the door." They walked over to the door and waited for Remus. The man took a moment more before joining them. "Sorry about that, I was having a little bit of trouble trying to find what I was looking for. We'll be taking a taxi to the place." A taxi happened to be waiting outside of the flat as the group exited. It was just the three that day, Arianna having headed to a friend's house for the weekend. They all got into the vehicle and Remus told the man where to go.

Victor was looking around excitedly. Ever since they had ended up with Remus, they had been seeing things that Victor had never done before. The car happened to be one of those new experiences. He smiled at Jesse. "I like t'is." He hugged the young woman, getting a hug in return. Remus chuckled at the young boy's excitement. Victor didn't really get excited over anything, other than the possibility of reading a new book. The child acted as if he was unable to believe that all the things were happening to him. Remus sat back and knew that they would take a little bit to get there. The reason he had chosen a taxi to get to The Leaky Cauldron over The Knight Bus was because he wanted them to get a good sight of everything. He had a strong suspicion that Jesse was sensitive to magic, but he would have to keep a hand on her anyways. He knew that she would not be able to see anything without his help, even with the sensitivity. He looked at the two. They were in their own little worlds.

The group remained silent until they arrived at their destination. Remus paid the driver as Victor looked at the building they were in front of and Jesse stared at what looked to her like an empty lot. She was confused as to why they were there. Victor, on the other hand, was busy staring at the dingy looking building with a sign that said _The Leaky Cauldron_ over the door. Remus smiled at them. "All right you two, come with me." He set a hand on Jesse's arm as he led her forward. He also placed a hand on Victor's back to push him along with them. The group walked into the building, though Jesse was more nervous about what was happening than Victor. She really did want to think that he was up to something, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that it was okay.

They entered the Leaky Cauldron with Jesse realizing that they were not entering an empty lot. She wondered what it was that made her see the other thing, but didn't ask. People looked up at them before returning to their drinks. Remus ignored them in favour of nodding to the man behind the bar as led them out back. Jesse finally got the courage to ask what she wanted to. "Wha' was t'at?"

Remus tilted his head at her as he thought over what she had asked. "Oh, that…Well, that was the Leaky Cauldron. It's not visible to non-magical people. The only reason you could see it when we entered is because it's hard to hide those kinds of things. You also had me holding onto you. I've heard about a potion that can temporarily give non-magical people the ability to see magical places, but I don't know how to make it. I've also heard bad things about it, so I wouldn't give it as a guarantee." He took out his wand and began to tap the bricks on the wall in front of him. Victor seemed more confused by the fact that Jesse wasn't able to see the same thing as him.

"I dun git it. She cannu see wha' we see?" Remus nodded in response to the young boy's question. It was a lot to explain, and he knew that he would have to later. Of course, one of the reasons that they were heading to Diagon Alley that day was for an amulet that would allow Jesse to see the Wizarding World. He had made a deal with a friend to trade it for another item. He suspected it would be easier for her because he had already deduced that she was able to feel the trustworthiness of the person. That was a gift, though not a magical one really.

He led them to a little shop squished in between the bookstore and the stationary store. It was kind of dingy with nobody really looking at it. A man looked up and smiled at the group. "Ah…Remus…Here you are. I have what you wanted. You know, most people just get these from Hogwarts. After all, they have to have some way for all those Muggleborn students to have their parents take them shopping." He laughed to himself, though the group wasn't really listening to him. "So, do you have what I wanted? You're the only man I would barter with. It's quite fun, you seem capable of finding things that I have trouble with. I think you should go into selling things like that. You could get more than favours and a little money." He had a box in his hand as Remus pulled one out of his pocket.

The two exchanged the boxes and the man opened his. He was smiling at whatever was in the box. "You know, I think that some people really underestimate your kind Remus. Only your kind could get me this." Victor was able to peer at the item that the man had been given. He kind of wondered what it was that had been traded for them to get what Remus wanted. Inside the box was hair, brownish hair that had little flecks of silver throughout it.

Remus shook his head as he opened his own box. There was a necklace in it. It was a simple gold chain that had a pendant hanging from it. He let out a sigh. "They only don't like it because of what I am. That's all there is to it, though they do recognize the merits of the fur. However, they would rather get it from the dead body." He shook his head and pulled the pendant out. He looked at Jesse and gave her a smile. "And this, my dear, is for you to put on. It's what they use for the non-magical parents of a magical child. It allows you to see the wizarding world. They usually require that it's returned when the child is done with school, but my friend here has a few that are given for a permanent basis. That's what I have here." He put the pendant around Jesse's neck.

She looked down at it. The pendant hit her just at her breastbone. The jewel glowed for a moment, causing her to cover her eyes. Victor immediately went over to her. "Jesse…Are yeh okay?" She took a moment to respond, but nodded her head.

"I am fine Victor, it jus' caught meh by surprise." She gave him a smile and a hug before turning her gaze onto Remus. "Thank yeh." Both men smiled at her, though the one that held a box of hair went to putting his item away.

The man then looked at Remus. "Well, I thank you for the item. Would you believe that doing the trade with you for that necklace will easily be more than covered by that hair? That is what I find amusing. Werewolf hair is worth a lot of money. Yet people don't recognize the fact that if you can get one to give it to you willingly, then there will be a ready supply available. That's why I never have a problem doing these kinds of trades with you. You get something and I get something. Of course, I don't have a problem paying for it either." He laughed as Remus closed his eyes.

"I am not too proud of what I am, Abel. However, I know that the hair is useful in the Animagus potion and a couple others as well, including the wolfsbane. But I am glad to help you out. You were a good friend when I was a kid, and its fine that I can at least make sure your business goes well." Remus nodded to his friend and ushered the other two out. The man, who Remus had called Abel, just laughed as they left. Remus shook his head at the sound.

Victor looked at him. "Wha' was 'e talkin' about? Werewolf? Wha' is tha'?" He stared up at Remus and waited for an answer. Remus was looking around as the young boy spoke. He was glad that they had come at a time when there were few people. He didn't need more people overhearing something that could be dangerous for others to hear.

"I'll explain later, let's just say that it's something that people generally don't like. That man in there, he's my friend, and he approached me about it. I was iffy, but his business was struggling at the time. I agreed to help him. He's had an increase in business since then, and he kind of insisted on either giving me part of the money from the sale or giving me something I need. I didn't want to, but he wouldn't stop until I caved. Now…Let's go and have some fun. We need to head to the bank, and then we can walk around." He led the group down the alley. He had told them the truth about helping his friend; it was just a somewhat complicated and delicate situation for him. The two people with him seemed to understand that. He had told them that he would explain later, and they knew that he would keep his word. It was more important to enjoy the day. Besides, how often would they be able to say they saw what they were seeing? They didn't know, but they were going to enjoy it while they had it.

A/N: I hope that you all like the chapter. This chapter was kind of introducing Remus a bit more and hope that you all enjoyed the glimpse of the beginning of their trip. Later.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 8_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 2,875_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound.

End of Last Chapter: _He led the group down the alley. He had told them the truth about helping his friend; it was just a somewhat complicated and delicate situation for him. The two people with him seemed to understand that. He had told them that he would explain later, and they knew that he would keep his word. It was more important to enjoy the day. Besides, how often would they be able to say they saw what they were seeing? They didn't know, but they were going to enjoy it while they had it._

Chapter 8

Victor held onto Jesse's hand as they made their way through Diagon Alley. Remus smiled at the duo, glad to see that their awe was still plastered upon their faces. They had finished their business at Gringotts rather quickly, which left them with more time to spend in the bookstore. Remus knew that was a good place to go, since Victor did seem to enjoy the books that he had him practicing with. Remus had to shift his coin purse a bit, the bag of coins smacking him in the leg a little too often. He wanted Victor to get a few books that would help him in learning to easily understand magical texts. The boy needed more than what Remus generally kept available in his home. Victor was slowly working his way up on the reading spectrum, but hadn't reached the level that was needed for Hogwarts. Plus, there was the fact that the few books Remus did have wouldn't help the boy learn the intricate differences between magical and Muggle texts. He wanted the boy to be able to use to both, as he believed that it was the only way to gain a true understanding of the differences.

Jesse was clutching at the pendant that was around her neck, for she appeared to be nervous about what she had seen by that point. Remus noticed her increased nerves as he led them over to the section with the basic books. These were books that those of wizarding heritage had for their children. It was a way for the child to learn some of the basics before they started school. He tilted his head a bit. "What is the matter Jesse?" She looked at him, her hand dropping from around the pendant.

She cleared her throat after a moment. "I jus'…This is all a little…Complicated…" The two men watched her. Minus one little slip, she seemed to have some language skills appearing. Remus bit his tongue as he thought over what could have caused the change. Jesse looked at the two. "Wha'? Wha' yeh doin' starin' at meh?" She blinked at them. Victor pulled away from Jesse to let her and Remus talk, kneeling down to look at one of the books that was in front of him.

Remus shook his head. "It's alright Jesse; I was just a little startled. You don't need to freak out." He gave her a smile as he glanced over at Victor, forcing himself to not think about the fact that Jesse's speech seemed to randomly change. Remus looked over the boy's shoulder to see what book Victor was looking at. "That was actually one of the books I was going to suggest that we get. It will help you a lot." Victor pulled the book out and handed it over to Remus. The title on the book was _A Beginning Tutorial in Potions Making_. "I discovered that this is a useful book for people to learn from. Most of the children I have helped have kept their copies of the book. The man that teaches the subject apparently doesn't really get into the basics like he should." Victor and Jesse nodded. Remus looked at Jesse after a moment. "You could read it as well Jesse. Potions happen to be one of the few areas that you don't need to have magic to make one, some of the time. I mean, there are some potions that you can't do, but not very often. I hear that the muggles who call themselves witches make potions rather frequently." The duo nodded, for it was an interesting bit of information to them.

He went and picked up a few more books as the two watched him. He looked over and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't exactly use to being stared at in the manner that they were doing so. It was a bit unnerving for Remus to see that. Victor cleared his throat to get Remus' attention focused upon him. Remus did look at the boy. "When yeh gunna teach meh? I mean, yeh said that I need teh learn some readin' and writin' more. I know enough teh git away wit' readin'." He raised an eyebrow at Remus. It was obvious that he thought the man was going to challenge that claim. Remus had no reason to do anything of the sort. He was more interested in helping the boy get to the level that the vast majority of first years would be at. He had noticed that there was some lack of skill in that area, despite what Victor wanted to think.

Remus let out a sigh and shifted one of the books that he had picked up. They had a couple other stops to make before heading home. "It's not that Victor. You do know enough to help; it's mostly the writing portion that worries me. One of the things we'll need to begin, once I'm sure that you have enough skill, is learning to write with a quill. The Wizarding World still uses quill and parchment. I know, that's a bit archaic, but you need to know how. I have to make sure that you'll be able to write as neatly as possible. We also need to work on your reading some more. You do have enough skill to understand some things, but it's going to get more complicated. Besides, we don't have much time to learn. According to that spell, you're ten and likely to turn eleven in August. That means that we have from now, which is late June, to September first to get you caught up. It's going to be a little difficult." The duo nodded; even they knew that was not very much time.

Jesse bit her lip and sighed. She could tell that someone would get discouraged if they didn't manage to make very much progress. "I'll 'elp as much as I can." Remus nodded to her in thanks. He looked at the books that he held, all of which were tutorials for those that wanted to get some studying done before going to Hogwarts. He walked up to the register and set them down, watching as the clerk began to calculate the cost. Remus already knew how much it was going to be, but he was more interested in getting to the final part of their trip. He wanted to give them something that he thought they would like.

Remus paid once he had the total, looking at the duo afterwards. "Come on, we really only have two stops left. There's no reason to get potion ingredients at this time, I don't know much about potions to make it worthwhile. We can deal with that once we get your letter." The boy nodded as they exited the bookstore. Remus, shrinking the bag of books, placed them in his pocket. Jesse's eyes widened at that. Victor, however, seemed immune to it, which was quite interesting to Remus. It was almost like the boy had accepted his lot already. Either that or his urge to know everything was stronger than Remus had thought. "We have to go to the stationary store. We need a training quill, and then I'll make sure that you get a self-sharpening and self-inking quill at a later date. That way you can get use to that before we send you off." He led them into the shop that he had spoken about.

It was boring for Victor. The interesting part was getting the chance to choose what kind of quill he wanted. He had been shocked at how many different kinds there were for just the training one. Of course, he had glanced at the one that Remus had mentioned getting at a later date. He was shocked to see how expensive it was, which only made him wonder why someone would pay the price for it. Yet all he was told was that it was better than taking an unknown number of quills and attempt to make them last a year. It was one expense that Remus believed to be quite useful. Ultimately, there wasn't much to do in that store. Jesse was staring at all of the stationary. She wasn't sure what to expect. It all seemed to be rather confusing to the young woman, but she was willing to learn for Victor.

Jesse cleared her throat after they left the store. "So…Uhm…Wha' yeh gunna do now? Yeh said that yeh takin' us to another store?" She looked around, especially since she was feeling even more nervous than before. She kept her eyes open, which caused them to almost pop out of her head the moment she saw where Remus was leading them. She just looked at him. "Yeh takin' us to a pet store?" Victor's mouth had dropped open at the sight of the birds and other creatures that the store had. Remus nodded in response to her question. He wanted Victor to choose a pet. It wasn't so much that he liked animals, though he did, he just wanted the boy to learn responsibility. The duo had seen Arianna's owl, which Remus had gotten the girl when she was seven. He didn't think anyone younger then that age was really capable of taking care of an animal. Plus, he knew that Victor needed to learn how to take care of someone. Remus especially wanted that because the boy was use to Jesse taking care of him all his life. Victor may have helped Jesse a bit, but he had never had anyone that was completely dependant on him. A pet would be.

Remus cleared his throat. "The idea is that you, Victor, need to learn to take care of something. It's an important part of being in school. You have to take care of yourself without Jesse, plus you have to know how to organize and arrange things. That means that it will be easier for you to learn this if you have a pet, at least from my experience." Jesse bit her lip, but seemed to agree with Remus in a sense. Of course, Remus could see that she still didn't like the idea of Victor leaving. She lightly shoved the boy in the direction of the animals.

She turned towards Remus. "I'm not sure about t'is. I mean, I agree…It would teach 'im, but…" She stopped there, for it was like she didn't know exactly what she wanted to say. Remus was watching her. He seemed to understand what she meant, somewhat. He let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"I understand what you're saying; you don't want him to go. That has been quite apparent. You've been the only person that he has known, except maybe the few other people he has made an acquaintance with in the past. This is the first time he would be striking out on his own, in a sense. However, he has to learn magic. He has some control, I've seen it, but that will backfire without any training. Any control that they have at this age can become wild once they reach their teens. I don't want to see that happen. I have been helping people in your situation before because I want to, but I also don't want to see a poor child get destroyed by what can happen in their teens." That got Jesse to bite her lip. She didn't want to see Victor hurt anymore than Remus did. She hugged herself, which got Remus to put an arm around her shoulders to try and comfort her. He had never had to comfort someone that was essentially a mother to a child. Most of the children he had met were abandoned by their parents, or ran away from orphanages and the like. This really was unusual for him.

Remus looked over and saw that Victor had stopped in front of a cage. He and Jesse went to see what had caught the boy's attention. They saw a kitten the moment they reached the cage. The cat was all alone and appeared to be 'the runt of the litter'. The feline was sleeping in a bed that had been placed in the cage, completely ignoring the people. The little creature was not what Jesse would have envisioned a magical person owning. She had the image of the stereotypical black cat going through her head. This little kitten was definitely not that. The kitten had short fur, something that even Remus was glad to see. The fur was a reddish colour, though there were some black spots with rosettes on the back and silver stripes on the front. The underside was white as well. It reminded Remus of the wild cats he had seen when he was younger, minus the colouring that was. The colouring was more unusual and even stranger than he could have figure out. The kitten opened its eyes, looking right at them. The cat's eyes had a kind of mascara around them, though it only made their green colour even more vivid. It then walked over to Victor and began to purr.

That was what said it all to the three of them. This cat had basically chosen Victor. The store owner came over to them. "I have not seen this little one take a shine to anyone. Everyone ignores it, seeing as it is not normal. I was told that she is a Bengal, though I think that something else is mixed in there. The cat only has a few of the spots on its back, but it is mostly striped. I've seen other Bengals; I don't think that this one is a purebred. Not that I am the best judge, seeing as we don't get many of them. The kitten's temperament has managed to turn most people off from adopting her. There's also the fact that people don't like the runts." The three nodded, though Victor had a finger scratching the kitten's chin through the cage bars.

Remus nodded and looked at the woman. "Well, it is not that common, how much is this little one?" He had a feeling that the kitten would be expensive. The woman winced as the creature swiped at her. She looked at him. "Well, these kittens were going for five galleons…However, if you want to take this one from me, I would willingly take a galleon for the cat. The stuff the kitten needs will be one galleon and ten sickles…" She seemed to stare in wonder at the fact that the kitten didn't seem to pay attention to anyone other than the boy.

Remus nodded. "That seems a little different, why would you reduce the price?" He was curious. He figured the woman would try to get more money for taking a 'problem' off of her hands. Of course, he had made sure to get enough money to cover it. Animals were one of the more expensive aspects of the Wizarding World. He just watched as the woman kept eyeing the little kitten with distrust.

She cleared her throat. "Well…You see, this little one has been driving me crazy. Gets loose, terrorizes anyone that looks at it, and other such things. If you want to take this one, I'm willing to take the loss just to get rid of the creature." Remus nodded and went to pay for the kitten. Victor was allowed to open the cage. The woman tensed at that. The kitten just jumped into his arms and began to purr happily. Remus got the stuff that they needed, smiling as Victor held the kitten.

Jesse cleared her throat. "Wha' yeh gunna call the kitty?" Victor looked at her. He was scratching between the cat's ears. He bit his lip and looked down at the creature that seemed to have captured his attention. It was something that struck Jesse as odd. She had never heard Victor express an interest in animals. Of course, she also knew he was the kind of person that didn't like to express interest in anything he might like. He didn't want to get his hopes crushed. She knew that they wouldn't have been able to take care of an animal. Of course, she did recall that he had given bits and pieces of his food to the stray cats they saw whenever he could.

Victor tilted his head at the kitten and just stared. "I think I'll call her…Uhm…Willow…Yea', Willow." He smiled to himself and watched as Remus came back. The man was stuffing the bags of items into his pockets after shrinking them down. Remus nodded to them and they began to leave.

"Well, I guess we shall go home now. Got everything?" The duo nodded at Remus' words as they made their way towards the entrance to Diagon Alley. Victor didn't pay attention; he kept his eyes on Willow. The little kitten was still purring. The group still had things to do, and much to learn, but that was nothing new. Remus glanced at the duo. Jesse was smiling at how Victor was infatuated with Willow. Victor wouldn't tear his eyes away from the kitten. All in all, it was a successful trip, and for that, Remus was quite happy.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. For those that are curious, Willow is based off the Bengal breed, and as closely based, but there will be more apparent differences later between Willow and the breed she is based off of. Hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter. Later.


	10. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 9_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 2,024_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 9

Victor lay on his bed while playing with Willow. The kitten was batting at a piece of string that had once been a shoelace. The lace was being dangled high enough to make her nearly jump to get it. The shoelace had come from one of Victor's old shoes, a pair that he no longer needed thanks to Remus. He smiled at Willow's playfulness. He wasn't sure what it was about the little fluff ball that intrigued him, but Victor couldn't control that interest. He also wondered why she had chosen him as her owner; for he recalled that they had been told about the kitten's dislike of practically everyone. A knock on his door drew his attention from the feline. Victor had been in his room for a while, yet that was because it was a part of his schedule to play and take care of Willow throughout the day. The door opened to reveal Remus, causing Victor to stare at the man. He looked at the clock and saw that he still had time left in his current task. It was in that moment which Victor was even happier that he could tell time.

Remus cleared his throat. "Victor, I need you to come downstairs. There is someone I need you to meet." Victor tilted his head, wondering whom it was that Remus wanted him to meet. He glanced over at willow. She was watching Remus, her eyes shining in a way that said she was ready to pounce at the man. The kitten seemed to find him amusing, especially when she acted as if he was someone she could play with. Remus shook his head and gestured towards the door. "Come on, we don't want to keep him waiting."

Victor got off of the bed and made his way towards the door. Willow followed closely behind him, her nose pointed towards the ceiling. Remus raised an eyebrow at the kitten's snooty behaviour. Of course, there were times that she acted like a Prima Dona. That was one of the ways that she would end up causing havoc. Victor, however, did his best to keep her out of trouble and hope to calm her down. He had seen that kittens could act calm, but he didn't really have the experience of raising them to know for certain. This was a fact that Remus couldn't help with, for he didn't have that much experience either. He was more use to seeing pet owls, but only because people considered them to be useful. Willow, on the other hand, made sense for Victor to have chosen. She had both the character and individuality to match her owner, which led to some frustration on Remus' part.

The duo entered the sitting room, forcing Victor to stop at the sight of a man next to the fireplace. The man stood there with his eyes focused upon the mantelpiece. The stranger had a large nose, one that Victor thought might have been broken a couple of times. The man also had skin so pale that he kind of looked like a ghost. Yet, his image was not helped by the fact that he wore clothes so dark that Victor thought they would swallow him. Willow hissed at the man, making it quite apparent that she didn't like him. Victor picked Willow up, as he was afraid that this stranger would hurt her.

Remus smiled at the man. "I'm sorry about that Severus. This is Victor; he's the one who needs a check-up." He gestured to Victor. The boy's eyes were impossibly wide, almost popping out of his head as he stared at the man. He couldn't believe that the person in front of him had such a bat-like demeanour. It also didn't help that it was rare for the boy to feel intimidated by an adult, but this man did exactly that. Remus looked at Victor. "It's alright Victor, this is Severus Snape. He's a teacher at the school. I've asked him to come and give you a check-up. He's both a healer and a potions master. It's useful, especially with the school nurse being on vacation. Well, at least that's what I was told when I contacted the school. It could have been a lie for all I know."

Severus scowled at Remus. That caused Willow to growl at Severus even more. "I happened to be on vacation as well. I wouldn't even be here if the headmaster hadn't…Asked me to, Lupin." He turned his glare onto Remus, but it had no effect with the man ignoring him. Victor slowly edged closer to Remus. He didn't want to be left alone with the bat-like man, especially with Jesse having accompanied Arianna to do some shopping. The young woman had wanted to feel useful to Remus, a fact that had her insisting she go with his young charge. Jesse knew that they were lucky enough to be allowed to live there, which made her want to repay Remus in any manner that she could. Helping Arianna shop was one of the ways that she had come up with.

Remus shook his head. "Please don't scare Victor, Severus." He looked at Victor and gave the young boy a smile. "It will be all right Victor. Severus can be a little…Overdone at times." He smiled and brought the boy over to the couch. Not that Victor wanted to come any closer to Severus, but he had no choice in the matter. Remus had led him there. The young boy was even more scared of what the strange man would do to him. However, those feelings couldn't be helped in regards to Severus Snape. The man had a terrifying presence, and he seemed to know it.

He got the boy to sit on the couch, though Victor kept Willow in his arms. The kitten's eyes stared right into Severus, causing the man to sneer at the cat. "I will do his check-up, seeing as I was basically ordered to. However, I will not do it while he holds onto that…Creature." Victor glared darkly at Severus. He didn't want to let go of Willow, what with her being his cat after all. The kitten tried to swipe at Severus instead. Remus sighed and picked Willow up. Victor didn't want to give her up at first, but Remus whispered something to him. Victor let him take the cat. Willow didn't like being moved either, but she had gone and done so at the feel of Remus' hands. Remus held onto her as Severus slid his wand out of his sleeve.

Victor's eyes widened at the sight of the man's wand. It was dark in colour and made Victor want to run away from it. "Yeh nuh gittin' meh wit' t'at." He backed up, attempting to put some distance between himself and the man. He did not move from the couch, trying to listen to what he was told. He glanced over at Remus, his eyes wide with the fear that he felt towards Severus.

Remus sighed and shook his head after a moment. "Severus, please stop. You're intimidating him. He's not completely use to magic yet. Victor is still working towards accepting it fully." Severus stopped and scowled. His eyes focused upon Remus, but he didn't comment. Remus looked at the boy. "I'm sorry; I didn't think that you would react this badly. You've been doing so well with what you've seen so far. I know that Severus is a bit intimidating, but you need to let him do the exam. He'll be done more quickly if you do so. I just want to make sure that you're all right. Can you possibly sit still long enough for the exam? You can go back to your room after that." Victor bit his lip, his eyes quickly darting to Severus before looking away. He seemed to be unable to escape the nervous feeling that was poking at him. He let out a slow breath and nodded.

Severus scowled at Victor, but began the diagnostic spell regardless. Severus knew what Remus had told him about the boy's life, which was something that he could accept. Severus, in fact, was not as cold-hearted as people believed him to be; yet he wasn't about to let some child get underneath his skin. However, as he let the spell run its course, he noticed that there was something familiar about the child. It wasn't something that was obviously familiar, but it was still recognizable. He watched as Victor tried not to shift at the spell's probing. Severus saw the spell finish. He then tapped his wand to the parchment he had set on the table, watching as words began to appear on the page. He watched for several moments and frowned at different things that were written upon the sheet. He glanced at Victor before returning his gaze onto the paperwork. The spell finished filling out the sheet, finally allowing Severus to pick it up and get a good look at the results. He frowned as he read the summary.

Remus noticed the frown and knew he wasn't going to like whatever was said. He cleared his throat in hopes to get Severus' attention. "What's wrong?" Remus logically knew that Victor was unlikely to be the healthiest of children, but that was a part of life.

Severus looked at Remus. "Well, since you need to know, this boy is ten. You likely know that already. He's underweight, which I believe is obvious. He'll get better as he continues to get regular meals; it will just take a while for him to catch up. However, has he had any problems with the reading that you've done?" Remus looked at him and then at Victor. The boy blinked at him somewhat owlishly. It seemed as if Remus didn't know how to answer that question.

Victor, though he didn't like the man, decided to speak up. "Yeh I do, teh words a little blurry at times." He stared at the man with narrowed eyes. Severus scowled at Victor's rather butchered English, but didn't comment about it. He seemed to be more focused on what he had read. He turned away from the boy after another moment of study.

"He will need reading glasses. The weakness of the prescription indicates that it's most likely caused by something not related to genetics, but I can't be certain." He shook his head. "Otherwise, I'll leave the results with you. I know that you'll have gone through the rest of these by the end of the night." He then left, leaving the piece of parchment on the table. Remus looked at where Severus had been. He then handed Willow back to Victor. The young boy looked at Remus.

Victor looked at him. "'E is strange. I dun like him." The boy nodded to himself. There were many thoughts running through his mind, but the one about how he didn't like Severus Snape was in the forefront. It was the kind of thought that was likely to haunt him for the rest of the day.

Remus sighed. "He will be your teacher, Victor. However, I'll see what I can do about getting you a pair of glasses. I have a pair of reading lenses myself; I got them when I was a child. You'll probably only need them to do homework or read. Otherwise, you should be fine. Now, go spend time with Willow. It will be a bit before Arianna and Jesse return." Victor nodded and left. He had nothing else to say, for he wanted to spend time with his cat. Of course, that didn't change how he felt about Severus, which was unlikely to change for a while. He also hadn't like the feeling of the spell that had been cast. It was then that Victor made a note to avoid having that one being cast upon him again. He got to his room and lay on his bed. Willow curled up on his chest. He was glad that she was calm. He needed a break; too much had happened, way too much.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. There are those that have said a young child can't have reading lenses, yes they can. I use to before I needed glasses all the time. So it is possible, it is often left to genetics, but not always. So hope that people like the chapter. Later.


	11. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 10_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,299_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. An extra note, people have been commenting on Victor having another year to get ready, he doesn't. He's ten, yes, but he's turning eleven. He has the summer to get ready, not the year. So that's why Remus is trying to cram as much as he possibly can in before he gets his Hogwarts letter.

Chapter 10

It had been a couple of weeks since Victor had received his rather uncomfortable check-up. The visit had left the boy feeling distrust about what had happened during the exam, but the sentiment wasn't directed at Remus. Victor understood the man's reasoning behind giving him the exam, even if it had been uncomfortable for him. Yet, while his mistrust was not aimed at the man he lived with, it was projected at Severus Snape. Victor, in the mean time, had made his feelings known since his check-up, a fact that Remus had started to ignore. It was while working that Remus had informed the child that his Hogwarts letter would be arriving soon. The thought had caused the boy to become nervous, for he wasn't sure what that meant. All he did know was that he was likely to be getting one. As Victor sat in the sitting room, his mind wandered over to the conversation where his Hogwarts letter had been brought up. It was a discussion that had taken place right after one of Remus' cram sessions. The duo had been working intensely on improving Victor's language.

_Flashback_

Victor sat at the table, smiling as Remus nodded over his work. He was waiting for Remus to say something, as the man would on the basis that it would allow Victor to know where he needed to put in some more work. Victor knew that he was doing rather well, but that didn't stop the fact that he wasn't entirely confident about that. It had to do with how he had spent most of his life behind almost all of the children his age. Luckily, the boy was determined enough to keep going. Remus had even stated that the boy wasn't one to likely give up, which was a fact that the older man was happy about. It was that determination that had caused Victor to take up Remus' suggestion about a way that he could improve his penmanship. The piece of paper that Remus held was filled with writing about Victor's life. The little stories helped to improve both his vocabulary and writing, something they agreed to be a good thing.

Remus nodded and set the paper down. "Well, you're doing a lot better. You really do have that drive to succeed, which is a good thing. I believe that it will make you a Ravenclaw when you're in Hogwarts, but I'm not the expert. You'll just have to tell me what house you're in after the sorting." Remus sat next to Victor. "All right, we have something else we need to talk about." Victor blinked at that, unsure of what Remus had meant. He didn't think that there was anything important, not when it was compared to learning. Victor, in fact, thought that learning was important because he had discovered some rather interesting topics. This was helped by the fact that he had already read through one of the books that Remus had gotten him during their trip to Diagon Alley. He waited as Remus took his time to share what they needed to talk about. "You're ten, we know that much." The boy nodded when Remus stopped talking again. Remus smiled. "That means that you'll be heading to Hogwarts, but only because your birthday is in August or so. I wish that you had been born in September, but we didn't get that kind of luck. Your birth date means that you'll soon be receiving your Hogwarts letter. I expect that it will arrive within the next week or so. Either way, we're going to be working as intensely as possible. I am impressed with what you're doing, but it's going to be hard to catch up with how far behind you are. Now, don't get discouraged. I'm going to do my best to get you caught up." He put an arm around Victor's shoulders.

Victor stared at Remus with wide eyes. The boy was glad that he was doing better, but felt that he would be behind no matter what. Victor made a noise that caused Willow to jump into his lap and curl up. She was trying to keep him calm and relaxed, which was something that she had taken upon herself as one of her tasks. Victor stroked her head and looked at Remus again. "I guess I doin' better. I need teh keep workin', right? I promise teh nuh give up. I wanna keep goin'." Remus gave Victor a smile at that one, glad to hear that the boy's language was improving. It was that improvement that allowed Remus to not worry about that ability; though he knew that the boy's other skills might take a little longer. What did worry him was that Victor seemed to get concerned about how long it was taking to get caught up. That worry was what caused Remus to always tell him to not get discouraged.

Remus could see where boy's train of thought was heading. "Victor, it will be all right, I promise. I know that this is going to be a bit difficult, but Arianna will help when you need it. Just like the teachers would as well. I know the situation isn't ideal, but we do what we can. That's the truth. I said I would do everything I can to catch you up. You can trust that I won't give up on that." Victor nodded. He knew that it was the truth, seeing as Remus had kept his word up to that point. He only wished that he could be completely caught up, but knew that was unlikely to happen. He decided to close his eyes and tune out, for that was just he needed.

_End Flashback_

Victor sighed as something flew through an open window. He blinked at the realization that it was an owl. Remus walked into the room just as the owl landed on the back of the couch. Shaking his head, he took the letter that the bird was carrying. It flew away after that, not bothering to wait for a response from the receiver. Victor still wasn't use to owl mail, even though he had seen it over the weeks they had been at Remus'. He looked over at Remus once his mind had wrapped itself around what was going on. He had an idea of what the letter was about, but he couldn't know for sure. It mainly had to do with the fact that he hadn't thought that his Hogwarts letter would come by owl. He had thought that it would come through the regular mail, even though only a few of Remus' bills ever did that.

Remus shook his head and handed the envelope over to Victor. "It's your Hogwarts letter, open it and read it." Victor carefully took the letter in his hands and stared at the address on the envelope:

_Mr. Victor Vauxhall__  
Remus Lupin's Flat  
Whitechapel, Greater London_

Victor swallowed and opened the letter. He slid the parchment into his hand. Reading the letter, he went slowly enough to register every word written upon the paper. He smiled as he looked at Remus. "T'ey accepted meh; I'm in teh school. T'is will be interestin'." Remus hugged him, seeing as he knew that the boy had been worrying about receiving his letter. It all came from the fact that the boy didn't seem to believe that he was a wizard. The boy returned the hug, feeling just as Remus knew that he would. He smiled and sat down. Victor was glad that this had gone right for him, as it left him with a feeling that he held onto. There was nothing else that he wanted, for he was finally happy to have physical proof that he was a wizard.

A/N: for those curious about the writing thing, that was a method I grew up with as well. It helped to expand vocabulary, improve writing, and general work. It does work, especially when someone is determined to make it work. Also, the address and Victor's language are a little messed up this chapter, that's because Victor's language is beginning to change and the address was what made sense after some research. Later.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 11_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 2,433_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 11

It wasn't until the next week that Remus took Arianna and Victor to buy their school supplies. While it was a group trip, Jesse had decided that she didn't want to go with them. She felt that she would rather have some alone time, for she was still adjusting to the whole Muggle meeting the Wizarding world bit. That adjustment came from how much of her thought process focused upon how it was for Victor and not her. Yet, even though she wasn't with them, Victor desperately wished that she had come along. That wish was what caused him to stick close to Remus. Arianna was there as well, but she had wandered off to hang out with her friends not long after arriving. It was mainly up to Remus to get the supplies for the budding first year. Remus smiled as he led Victor into the bookstore to get the required texts. The boy still held a bit of a fascination with books.

Victor looked up at Remus as they walked into Flourish and Blotts, keeping a hold of his guardian's hand. "Uhm...Remus…Do I need teh read the books? I know I need teh get used teh the material. I jus' dun think I'll understand it." Remus looked down at the boy. He was still a bit startled at how normal Victor's speech was beginning to turn, even though he still had his accent. It caused the man to wonder why, but figured that it might have something to do with being around Arianna and Remus. Either way, he focused upon how Victor's speech was likely to change to match the other students over time.

Remus put an arm around him and led him towards the section where they would find the first year textbooks. They were a bit different then most of the books in the store, for a lot of them would end up in a completely different section then where their regular aisles were. "It would do you some good, yes. You've said that you enjoy the books that you've been reading. This is just another instance of where you might need some help. I'll always make sure that you get the help you need. I mean, there are a lot of eleven-year-olds that don't understand some of their books. So you're not alone when it comes to that area. Besides, that's what education is for." Victor nodded. He did feel a little bit better after being told that bit of information, as he hated feeling like he was behind everyone else. He held onto Remus as the man picked up one of the books that he would need. Remus chuckled.

"All right, so we've got your Charms, Potions, and Transfigurations texts. We still need to get your Defence book, Herbology book, and history book. Be glad that's it for this year. It will be worse in your third year. So, let's see…" He pulled out the sheet of parchment that had Victor's school list on it. He shook his head in amusement after reading a few things. "If I was teaching Defence against the Dark Arts, I wouldn't have the kind of book you do. The protection guide that this teacher assigned glances over half the stuff that you need to know as a first year." He shook his head. "Yet I do wonder about the creatures' book. That book would make more sense if you were in your third year and taking Care for Magical Creatures. That's a little far off in the future." He sighed and shook his head as he picked up some more books. The boy stared at him with his eyes almost popping out of his head.

A thought popped into Victor's mind, one that he felt the need to ask. "Uhm…Yeh had us visit yer friend at tha' store…Was tha' because yeh wanted to make sure teh 'ave money for the two of us?" The question had ended up on his mind because he had seen Remus carrying another box with them when they had arrived in Diagon Alley. Remus gave him a look, taking a moment to realize that 'us' was referring to Arianna and Victor. Remus sighed, for he knew that Victor wanted an answer. Not that it helped his uneasiness, but Remus felt that the boy deserved it after the previous week. It had only taken a week for them to get to Diagon Alley because of Remus' condition, which Victor had only recently learned about. Victor watched Remus as he waited for an answer.

He handed Victor his Herbology text. "It deals with what I explained to you last week. So yes, it's related to that, but don't bother with trying to think too hard about it. The money is a good thing after all. It does give me enough for both you and Arianna, plus have some leftover to do something nice. Arianna knows what she needs to get. It also helps that her year is cheaper, especially since she doesn't need new robes yet." He mussed up Victor's hair. The boy made a noise of protest at his shoulder length hair becoming frizzed at the action. Remus chuckled. "Now don't think about it. It can make things more difficult for us. We'll get all of your stuff with no problem." He led the boy to the register after he had gotten the last textbook. He was smiling as he let Victor think of what had been said.

It didn't take long for the total to be tallied and Remus to pay. Shrinking the bags, he stuck them in his robe pockets. Victor looked at him. "So, wha' next on teh list fer us teh get?" He was waiting for Remus to take him out of the store. Remus shook his head and led the boy towards another shop, one that Victor wasn't likely to enjoy. The store wasn't the kind of place Remus expected a child to like, especially since he tried to avoid it when he could. Though, as luck would have it, it wasn't the store they didn't need to go to that day. That store was the stationary store, which was a good thing that they didn't need to go. Victor generally found the place boring. He led Victor into the store. Victor blinked. "Wha' is this place?"

"This is the robe shop. I'll leave you here for a bit, Victor. I'm going to get your cauldron and Apothecary supplies. You should be done by the time I get back. We can then take you to get your wand and find Arianna. We'll return to the flat once she's also finished with her shopping." Remus gave him another smile. Victor nodded and watched Remus leave the store after the man gave him the money he needed for his robes. Remus smiled and shook his head as he walked down the street. "At least he's willing to listen and not argue with me. I wouldn't want to be the one stuck in a robe shop." He walked off to do what he said he would. He would be back after his task was done, for he wanted to get out of the alley as quickly as possible.

Victor, on the other hand, was a little nervous as he waited to be helped. He shifted from foot to foot as he saw a woman come up to him. She gave him a smile. "Are you buying Hogwarts robes, dear?" He nodded quickly, hoping to get it done as fast as possible. She led him to a stool and made him stand on it. She hummed to herself as she measured him for robes. He tried not to shift around, something that proved to be quite difficult.

A boy cleared his throat and got Victor's attention. He turned his head towards the boy. The other child had an eyebrow raised. "I take it you're going to Hogwarts too?" Victor nodded, even though the boy's tone of voice was enough to make him cringe. The reason he wanted to do that was because the boy's tone was the type that said he was better than everyone else. Victor took in the boy's appearance, noting that he had dark hair that matched his dark features. Victor frowned after a moment. The boy smirked at him. "Well, it's nice to see that there are some other people going. The only people I know are Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott. There are others that are attending as well, but they're just as boring or snobbish. My name is Blaise Zabini by the way." Victor blinked at the boy. Blaise's tone had changed to a more relaxed one when he had said his name.

Victor cleared his throat. He felt embarrassed about how he would sound, but it didn't stop him from speaking. "Uh…Okay…Meh name is Victor, Victor Vauxhall." He stared at Blaise for a bit longer. It was one of those situations where he wished that he had lived a normal life, especially when he had no idea who Blaise was speaking about. The two boys listened to the ladies tutting to themselves as they were measured. Victor opened his mouth to speak yet again.

"Okay, you're done, dear." The woman that was measuring Blaise said those words before Victor got a chance to say what was on his mind. The boy nodded and hopped off of the stool he had been standing on. He looked up at Victor and stared at him intently for a few minutes. He then nodded to Victor and walked off. Victor stared after him in confusion, unsure of what had happened. He realized that he had no problem with Blaise in general, but was confused by the way the boy had talked. He almost didn't hear the woman say that he was done ten minutes later. He paid for the robes and left the store. He kept thinking about how the boy had used a tone of voice that spoke of contempt when mentioning the people that he had. Bumping into a person, he looked up to see Remus. The older man looked at Victor and set a hand on his shoulder.

Remus watched Victor for a moment. "What happened, Victor?" He waited to see what the pre-teen would say. There were a lot of things that the boy could choose to talk about, though Remus had no idea what the topic would be on. The duo had one stop left to make, a stop that could end up unnerving Remus. At least that's what he thought when he looked at the confused boy that he had been taking care of for nearly a month. There were a lot of things that left Victor confused, but Remus was trying hard to help him with that.

Victor shrugged and walked with Remus. "Oh…Ran into some boy. He said some t'ings about a couple o' people t'at confused me." Remus nodded and left it at that. He had already learned that Victor wasn't going to talk if he didn't want to. It was one of the issues of trust that they were working on, but Remus' consistency had helped in getting the boy to trust him a bit more quickly. Remus remained silent and led him into the last store.

Victor looked around, trying to take in everything that was in front of him. He knew that there was a lot more happening than what he had already seen. He saw a lot of dust-covered boxes lining the walls. Victor sneezed after a moment from the dust. A person appeared out of nowhere. "Ah, a new customer, it's what I like to see at this point." The stranger smiled. Victor was wide eyed and clung to the nearest person, which happened to be Remus. The man looked at Remus. "Remus Lupin, yew with a dragon heartstring and thirteen inches long." Remus nodded. He was glad that the man hadn't continued on about what his wand was good at. The man's eyes then fell onto Victor. "Is this a new charge, Remus? Let's see…" He took a closer look at Victor, his eyes widening after a moment. He nodded and walked over to a shelf.

"This is Mr. Ollivander." Remus knew that the man had startled Victor. Victor nodded, but appeared to still be quite nervous. The man pulled out boxes of wands and began to hand them to the boy. Victor looked at Remus when he was handed the first one. "Just wave it. Also, don't be startled if he grabs it from you. That's kind of normal." Victor nodded and did as he was told. The wand was quickly snatched out of his hand and replaced with another. The action ended up startling him a bit. It freaked him out how quickly Ollivander had reacted to his wand waving. It seemed to take forever to find a wand, causing Remus to get more and more nervous. He kind of wondered why it was taking Victor so long to get a match.

Ollivander smirked and got out a box that was covered in quite a bit of dust. "I didn't think I would have to go to this wand, but here you go. I'm rather curious about whether or not it will choose you." He handed the wand to Victor and watched as the boy waved it. Red sparks came out of the wand. Ollivander gave a mysterious looking smile. "Just as I thought would happen. I've been waiting for the owner of that wand to appear. That wand is made of Holly and a phoenix feather. It's also eleven inches long." He smirked and told them the price a moment later. It seemed as if Ollivander was keeping something to himself, but neither Remus nor Victor wanted to ask what it was. Remus didn't because it wasn't his place. Victor didn't because he was scared about what the secret could be.

Remus took Victor out of the store. "All right, let's go find Arianna and go home." Victor nodded and the two walked off. They were silent as they went in search of Arianna. Coming to the decision that he would talk to Jesse, Victor's mind went over quite a few things that had happened that day. In fact, it unnerved him to feel like something was being kept from him. He wanted to know what it was, but was also afraid to know. He stayed close to Remus as they walked. They would find out eventually, and that was the truth. He knew it.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. Hope people like it. Later.


	13. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 12_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,731_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. For those that wonder why they don't see the lightening bolt scar, he's got many scars crossing his forehead covering it up.

Chapter 12

Victor spent the week after the Diagon Alley trip attempting to read his course books. Remus still had him working on all of the basics, but Victor felt the need to read that particular set of books before he got to school. He was going to do what he could to keep from being too far behind, as it was the one part of his situation that he was going to keep from getting out of control. He had that determined glint in his eye that Remus was quite glad to see. Of course, that was still because it meant that he could get the boy to study without complaint. He watched the boy, trying to see what was going on in the child's mind. Victor suddenly stopped and began to look at Remus. He was a bit concerned about why Remus was watching him, as it was rather strange to have a person stare at him as intently as Remus was. Remus gave him a smile. The duo had noticed that Arianna and Jesse were out once again, leaving the boys alone in the flat. It wasn't that unusual a situation for them, but the alone time didn't look to be happening for that long.

There was a knock on the door, one that caught Remus' attention more quickly than that of his charge. Victor frowned as he looked at Remus again. "Are yeh expectin' guests?" His speech was improving day by day, much to Remus' happiness. However, he couldn't believe just how much the boy was learning from having a steady environment. He wasn't used to someone learning as quickly as Victor did, which was why it had caught his attention. Remus shook his head at the question and went to get the door. He hadn't been expecting anyone, as he would have told the others if he had known that there was someone coming to visit. It was something that he always made sure to do. Remus wasn't the kind to have visitors show up randomly. He often said it was due to his lack of living friends. That was the kind of comment that usually got the attention of those that weren't in the know about his past.

He opened the door and saw the one person that he wasn't too thrilled to see. Standing on the other side of the door was Severus Snape, but he was accompanied by the Hogwarts medi-witch, Poppy Pomfrey. He frowned at the two people that stood there. He cleared his throat in hopes that they would say why they were visiting. Remus was the one that ended up having to speak. "Hello Severus. Hello Madam Pomfrey. I didn't expect to see you today. It's been quite a while since we last saw each other. What brought you over for a visit?" He had a feeling that Victor was getting quite nervous, but couldn't know for sure. He had seen how the boy had reacted to Severus on a normal basis, even though he tried to do what he could to relax the child. It all had to do with how he didn't want Victor to get upset by what was happening.

Poppy smiled at him. "You can call me Poppy, Remus. You aren't my patient any longer. We're here because Severus told me that you had a new orphan come in. He said that this one is rather interesting. I came to administer one of the tests that he was unable to do. Severus is interested in the boy's parentage, but he can't make the potion, which takes two months to brew, until he's gotten the boy's blood. He needs me to extract it." Remus frowned and glanced over at Severus. He wondered why the man would be interested in Victor. There were many things that Remus didn't think Severus would do, one of which was being interested in a child. That had to do with the fact that Severus wasn't the kind of person to like children. The idea that Severus was taking an interest in Victor was enough to leave Remus with his own uncomfortable feeling. Yet, despite that feeling, he stepped aside after a moment. He knew that it would be rude for him to make them stand outside like that.

He gestured for them to enter. Poppy smiled and did so, though Severus was still scowling rather darkly as he entered. He didn't seem to be happy about the situation, but Remus was more worried about what it would do to Victor. Severus cleared his throat. "The boy needs to be checked out, Lupin. You should know this by now. It's best to make sure that he's not some missing child from another family." He scowled more darkly than before. Remus knew the procedure, but had put it off until a later time. He got the feeling that Victor's family wasn't around. He led them to the sitting room. Victor looked up and saw that Severus Snape enter the room. The boy got a feeling of dread at the sight of the man. He was either scared of the man or put off by him. He wasn't entirely sure which one it was.

Remus sighed and went right over to him. "It's going to be okay, Victor. They need to get some blood for a test. I don't know why there are two of them for this, but there is." He gave them each a look that stated how uncomfortable he was with the idea. Victor shifted uncomfortably at the very thought of having his blood taken. He had seen his blood often enough to know that it was one of those things that he didn't like. He was used to his blood having been drawn thanks to some of the scuffles and fights he had gotten into over the years. All those fights were what had contributed to his scars. However, he didn't want to be a part of having more of his blood drawn. He wanted to run and hide. Severus was looking at him with such loathing that Victor felt as if he was being taken apart. Plus, he didn't want to have his studying interrupted right then.

Poppy got her wand out and smiled at him. "Well, aren't you sweet? I'm Madam Pomfrey, the medi-witch at Hogwarts. We need to perform a standard test. This means that I'm going to draw your blood into the vial that's in my hand. This will allow us to be able to do the test as quickly as possible." She pulled out a vial as she said all of this. Victor stared at it with a frown upon his face. He found that the woman's presence was more soothing than Severus' was, but he still didn't like the sound of anything that she was talking about. It was quite apparent that she had never dealt with someone like him in her life. She just gave him a slight smile as she came a bit closer to him. She made him hold out his arm. "You can hold your arm out and it will allow me to take the blood with minimal pain." She smiled and tried to make him do what she wanted. Victor glanced over at Remus. All the strange people that were showing up in his life were enough to really throw him off balance. He didn't know if Remus would think that it was a good idea. Remus frowned, but nodded. They needed to do it, for it was something that was required. The boy was the kind of child that appeared as if he was unlikely to have any family left. That was the reason he hadn't bothered to do anything. He hadn't wanted to get the boy's hopes up.

Victor held his arm out and sighed. "I dun like t'is at all. I dun know why yeh want me blood. I see enough o' me blood as it is." Poppy practically jumped at the sound of Victor's voice. She hadn't expected him to have the accent that he did. She frowned and touched her wand to his arm. The blood immediately began to flow into the vial as soon as she had whispered the spell. She pulled her wand away the moment that she had enough blood. She then made sure that the seal on the vial was perfect. She was glad for the spell, as it meant that she didn't have to uncork the vial in order to fill it like people had in the old days. She stood there for a moment and took in Victor's appearance. She could see that he was still rather small and skinny for his age, though that was what she had expected. She thought that he would get better after a more balanced diet, but knew that Remus was likely taking care of that one already.

Remus looked at them. "If that's all you needed, then it would be best if you go. I don't mean to rush you, but we're in the middle of working on some of his course work. It needs all of his attention. So please, you can send me the results when you get them in." He then proceeded to lead them away from the sitting room. Victor stared after them. He wanted to know what was going on, but he could tell that Remus didn't want to talk about it. It was all in the man's demeanour. The young boy had learned about Remus' moods, which had allowed him to know that the skill of reading people had been a good one to learn. It was one of those skills that he had learned on the streets. He sighed and decided to return to his books. That was the safest thing for him to look at in that moment. He could find out what was wrong later. He got a feeling that whatever they needed his blood for would be important. He turned the page of the book that he had been reading. He needed to focus on what he was learning. After all, that was all he could do until someone told him what was going on. He would talk to Jesse later about what had happened, as she needed to know. They could both ponder on it together, which is exactly what they would do.

A/N: Well, there's the chapter. Hope that you all like it. Later.


	14. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 13_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,248_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As this has cropped up, Hogwarts letters in this story require some awareness about who the person is. Victor doesn't know he's Harry Potter, so there will be no letter for Harry Potter arriving. The letter for Victor arrived; there will be none for Harry Potter. Also, Remus doesn't know that Victor is Harry, and smell won't help in this matter.

Chapter 13

It seemed as if time kept on passing by for the small group. Remus was doing what he could to get Victor caught up before the school year started, but the duo knew that there was no way for him to be entirely up to speed. However, the ground they had already made was enough to keep the boy from looking too out of place. Remus was currently sitting in the kitchen, staring at something that a good friend of his had made. He had told her that it was a celebration for Arianna, since she would be in school when her birthday came about. Luckily, he managed to talk the woman into not putting a name on it. He had asked for the extra icing and done it himself. That left him sitting in front of a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and the words _Happy Birthday Victor_ on the top of it. The words were a bit sloppy, but that wasn't what really mattered. He smiled and hoped that the boy would enjoy it. He had Arianna take Jesse and Victor out for a bit. He let out a slow breath and got a magical candle that would keep lighting up until Victor had blown it out the number of times that it was set to.

He heard the door opened and smiled a bit more. He looked down at Willow. The little kitten had been sitting at the kitchen door watching Remus. He had found it a bit unnerving at first, but assumed that the kitten either didn't trust him or knew that something was going on. He sort of figured that it was the latter, not that he was going to truly make that kind of decision. He heard the echoes of idle chatter drift in from the hallway. He had noticed that Jesse had been a little quiet, though he wasn't sure what the reason was. He waited to see the group enter into the kitchen. Arianna knew what was going on. She knew that it was her job to get the duo into the kitchen. Remus straightened the shirt that he was wearing. He much preferred Muggle clothes to the robes that Wizards wore, as it meant that he didn't have to change his clothes as often as he would otherwise. He did tutor Muggle students after all. That made the idea of changing his clothes for each outing rather tiring.

Victor came into the kitchen with Arianna, picking Willow up in an almost fluid motion. He looked up and stalled at the sight of Remus standing next to the table. His eyes hadn't even glanced at the table yet. Jesse came up behind him and saw the cake immediately. Her eyes went to Remus and looked at him questioningly. Remus let out a slow breath and smiled at the group. "Well, I decided that since you'll be heading to Hogwarts soon, and we don't know the exact date of your birth, that we would give you a small celebration. I asked Arianna to have you go out while I got a cake done. It's nothing fancy." Victor stared, his eyes falling onto the cake after a moment. He didn't seem to know how to react. He had never had anyone other than Jesse do something like that.

Jesse hugged him around the shoulders. He let her. Willow meowed and got the boy's attention. He looked at the little kitten and let out a slow breath. "Thank yeh, Remus." He walked over and saw Remus stick a candle into the cake. He lit it and Victor blinked. He had heard of people blowing out the candles, but had never had a chance to do it himself. He took a deep breath and blew the candle out. It went out, but the flame returned on after a couple of seconds of being out. That caused him to blink and look around. Arianna didn't seem startled by it. Jesse was staring in shock at what it had done. Remus smiled.

"It's a magic candle. It will light up until you've blown it out the number of times it is set to. They're used for birthdays." Remus was still smiling as he explained what it was. Victor nodded and proceeded to do what Remus said. He had already blown it once, so that meant he had ten more times to go. He found the idea odd, but figured that was better than taking one big breath and blowing it out. Once the candle had been blown out the set number of times, Remus used his wand and proceeded to cut them all a slice of cake. The group remained silent. Victor was unsure of what to say. Jesse was startled that someone had done something like that for Victor. Remus divided the cake up, setting a slightly bigger piece in front of Victor.

Jesse looked at Remus when she sat down with a piece of the cake. "This is quite nice o' yeh." She had essentially dropped her cockney accent, minus a few random words at times. She mostly spoke like everyone else. She cut into her slice. "I know yeh didn't need to do this." She was wondering what Remus would say in regards to her statements. She was eating her slice of cake. Arianna watched everyone in interest. She was the quietest of the group, but that wasn't unusual.

Remus nodded. "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. He deserves a birthday party. While this isn't much of one, it's a nice one for him. Everyone needs happy experiences like these." He gave Victor a smile. Victor was savouring the taste of the chocolate cake. He hadn't ever tasted anything he thought of as that good. Remus smiled some more. "Besides, seeing kids look that happy is something everyone wants to see." Jesse looked at Victor and nodded in agreement. She could see that he was happy about that one bite of cake. It was a little strange, but what more could she ask for.

Arianna finally decided to add something to the conversation. "Happy birthday. I hope that you have many more happy ones from this point forward." Victor looked at her with wide eyes. He hadn't heard her say something like that before. She was kind to him, but he hadn't really thought of her as someone that could wish another person a happy birthday. She usually seemed to keep to herself. Victor focused back on his piece of cake. He didn't know how to answer her. He loved the taste. In fact, he was happier in that moment then he had been in quite a while.

He looked at Remus again. He knew that he was going to repeat himself, but he felt the need to show Remus just how appreciative he was about what the man had done. It was something he really was shocked about. "Thank yeh again, Remus. I never thought t'at I would git to have a birthday. It's somet'ing I always wanted." He smiled at him and focused back on his cake. The older people gave the boy a smile. It really was a good way to improve a day, and at least he was going to have some good memories of a birthday, even if they didn't know if it was his real one or not. After all, they all felt that he deserved it, probably more than some people did.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. It's an interlude before the next part of the story. So we're close to Hogwarts and will be off soon. Hope you all enjoyed. Later.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 14_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,284_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 14

The first of September arrived all too quickly for the group, causing them to feel as if they had only blinked. Jesse had come with them to the train station, but she didn't want to go through the barrier that divided King's Cross and Platform 9 and 3/4s. Remus would have normally gone with Arianna and Victor, but he didn't want to leave Jesse alone in that part of the station. He touched her shoulder as the duo watched Arianna and Victor make their way towards the barrier that led to Platform 9 and 3/4s. Victor looked over his shoulder at them, nervously biting his lip as he did so. He didn't particularly want to run into a wall, though he did trust Remus enough to believe what the man had said about there being nothing for him to run into. It didn't stop the fact that he felt that the idea wasn't a great one anyways. Yet there was also the fact that he thought that he would look insane to head right into the barrier. Arianna drew his attention away from his thoughts by setting her hand on his shoulder. She gave him a silent smile and led him to the barrier. Victor took a deep breath and walked through it. He didn't like the strange feeling that came over him as they walked through that wall. It was the kind of feeling that made him happy about coming out the other side soon afterwards.

Frowning ever so slightly, Victor looked over his shoulder. "I'm not sure 'bout t'is." Arianna brushed the back of his head and walked him over to the train. He followed her, but only because he didn't know anyone else that was heading to the school. This made her the only person that he could talk to. He shook a bit as she led him to a compartment on the train.

She smiled at Victor. "It will be all right, Victor. Now I'm going to leave you here. I've got some friends to hang out with. This is the time for you to make your first Hogwarts' friends. I'm sure that you'll meet someone." She then walked off, leaving Victor alone in the compartment. Victor bit his lip and sat down on one of the benches. He didn't know what to do. Arianna had dropped their luggage off before taking him to the compartment, but she hadn't left him with any information on what he could do. He fiddled with a book that was in his hands, though he didn't really want to read it right then. He was sitting there in silence, his mind lost among all the things that were happening to him. He hadn't wanted to leave Jesse, but he had agreed to go to Hogwarts. He stared out the compartment window and shook a bit at the thought of how he would be unlikely to see the woman that had raised him. The very thought scared him more than anything ever had, yet that was something that couldn't be changed.

The compartment door opened, directing his attention towards it. He looked at the person that entered. The boy had blonde hair and a round face. Victor blinked at the boy. He waited for the boy to say something. The newcomer cleared his throat. "Uhm…Is it…Can I sit here?" Victor blinked again. Even though he saw a variety of different people throughout his time on the streets, he hadn't seen a person that stuttered in the manner the boy did. It was like he would just stall when he talked and change the dialogue to something else. Victor only nodded in response. He wasn't sure what he was meant to say in the situation. He suddenly felt quite self-conscious, which caused talking to be rather awkward for him. The boy looked at him. "I'm…I'm Neville, Neville Longbottom."

Victor looked at him. He was unsure of himself, but the boy didn't seem that sure either. Victor could tell that he was definitely more self-assured than Neville appeared to be, but he still wasn't that confident. He cleared his throat. "Victor…Victor Vauxhall." Neville blinked, but nodded. He didn't question what was going on. He was fine with listening to what was said. He gave Victor a smile. It was the kind of moment that felt as if there was something happening around him. The two lapsed into a type of silence as the train began to move. It really did look as if neither of them knew what to say to the other.

Neville cleared his throat. "So…You're a Muggleborn?" Neville knew that he hadn't heard the name Vauxhall before, which was the main cause for asking the question. Victor looked at him and blinked. Remus had talked a bit about the difference between Magic Born and Muggle Born. This meant that he had some idea of what Neville had asked him, but he didn't know if he truly was one or the other. There was no way that he could know, though he sensed that Remus was keeping something from him. He wished that someone would tell him, but he didn't exactly understand what was going on. He sat there in silence for several moments. He needed to understand whether or not the question would be detrimental to him. He knew what Remus had said, but that didn't necessarily mean it was a good idea to answer. He looked at Neville and saw genuine curiosity in the boy's face.

It was that look which caused Victor to make a decision that he knew would be a telling factor. "I dun know. I grew up on the streets." He waited to see what Neville would say to that. The boy sat there in silence, watching Victor with a sense of apprehension. A croak got the attention of both boys. Neville chuckled and pulled a toad out of his pocket. Victor looked next to him. The only item he had brought with him into the compartment, other than his book, was Willow. She was in her carrier. Victor smiled. It was nice to see another person's pet around. Of course, he never actually thought someone would own a toad.

"Well, that had to have been interesting. So, you must be glad to be going to Hogwarts, right? Are you staying with anyone or something?" Neville seemed very curious about Victor as he held onto his toad. He looked at the boy across from him and realized that Victor was staring at the toad. "Oh, this is Trevor…He was a gift from my uncle."

Victor nodded and smiled yet again. He was enjoying the time that he spent around Neville. "I am staying wit' Remus Lupin. He let meh and Jesse live with 'im." Victor's accent seem to become a bit more predominate, but he was having his good and bad days when it came to sounding closer to a 'regular' person. Neville appeared to want to say something else, but didn't bother. He only nodded. Victor couldn't help liking the boy. The boy seemed to know when to not ask questions, despite a couple of the questions that he had asked already. Victor gestured to his carrier. "This is Willow, she's meh cat. Remus got her fer me." Neville smiled again. The two boys chuckled at something that neither of them appeared to understand. The two then began to talk about meaningless things. It made the train ride pass, and even helped with the fact that their compartment seemed to get ignored. They didn't care, they were happy with just talking. It was obvious that they were becoming fast friends, and that was all there was to it.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. A little short, but it's the lead into Hogwarts. Hope everyone enjoys the twist. Later.


	16. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 15_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,774_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. For those that wonder, I cross-checked the information on Neville's hair colour before I put it into the chapter. JKR said that Neville's a blonde in an NPR interview back in 2000. That's the basis of the information. From what I remember of the books, she doesn't really say what he is, but I'm focusing on what she said in the interview as what his hair colour was.

^…^: Sorting hat mind speech

Chapter 15

Victor stared at the ceiling above his head as he walked into the Great Hall. He was shocked at the sight that was presented to him, which caused his mind to stall. He had enjoyed the train ride thanks to Neville's companionship, but had been distracted at the sight of Hogwarts from the rowboats. Yet it was the sight of the sky reflected in the ceiling that really garnered his attention. He had seen the glass domes that some places had, but he didn't think that they compared to the magical ceiling that was above his head. He smiled at the sight and nearly bumped into Neville as the boy stopped with the others. He managed to avoid it, yet it didn't stop that he still felt the awe of what was going on around him. He looked away when sound caught his attention. He saw the woman that had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall standing in front of him. She had a roll of parchment in one hand and was explaining what they were to do. Victor listened with only half an ear. He heard that he was supposed to come when his name was called and place a hat upon his head. The only thing that he thought was that the action sounded like a stupid way to get sorted.

He partially tuned out and only listened well enough to know when his name came up on the list. He was trying not to hum from the boredom that he felt at watching the other first years get sorted. He saw one girl, her hair bushy with front teeth that were a little large, go to the stool and sit down. He had heard the name Granger, Hermione get said, but didn't think that it was anything truly important. Yet he watched her out of curiosity. He had noticed, though not sure how he had, that a red-haired boy glared at her with an immense amount of dislike. He tuned in when she was sorted into Gryffindor. He saw the one house clap and blinked his eyes at the bright gold and reds colours that assaulted his vision. He thought that the table was way too bright, which was one thing that he wanted to avoid. He mentally shrugged and then heard McGonagall say something else. He looked right at her as she said the name Potter, Harry. He frowned. The name sounded a bit familiar, not that he was sure why. He watched as the woman said the name again, but nobody stepped forward. Murmuring began with earnest at the lack of response at the name, but Victor only blinked in response. He began to think. 'I wonder why everyone's whispering about someone named Harry Potter. I mean, who would want that name? It's a horrible name. The poor kid probably didn't come out of fear of being made fun of.'

Victor then realized that Neville had left while he had been completely tuned out. He looked around for him and saw that Neville was sitting at the Gryffindor table. While he didn't like the colours, he was happy for his friend. He tuned in when he heard his name a little while later. He looked at McGonagall with wide eyes and stepped forward. He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to listen for his name. He sat on the stool and let her put the old hat on his head. He didn't want to put it on, but he remained silent as the hat fell over his eyes. He wondered how a hat was supposed to sort him. A voice appeared in his mind a moment later. ^Well, what do we have here? I see a boy with a difficult past. Hm…You've got such a strong sense of needing to learn all that you can. You want to prove yourself. Where shall I sort you? You're appropriate for both Slytherin and Ravenclaw.^ The voice disappeared. Victor did his best to not look around, for he didn't want to look like an idiot. He had never heard any voice other than his own in his head before, which meant that he didn't want this to be the first one that he heard. He tried to keep himself under control as he sat still. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to respond. Yet the voice began to talk yet again. ^You can speak to me, you know. I know that you're thinking it. I'm the sorting hat.^

Victor blinked into the darkness and did his best to not make any overt noises. He figured the best thing to do was think towards the hat. 'I don't know much about the houses. Remus told me a bit about them. He thinks that I would be a Ravenclaw. I would like to make him proud.' It was the truth. He wanted Remus to be proud of him, which he figured that going into Ravenclaw would do that. He kept silent after those words. He figured that it was best to let the hat make its decision.

There was a chuckle in his mind. ^You do hold a deep respect for Remus and for a girl named Jesse. Well, I'll respect that wish, but only because you're a hardworking intellectual. So, you should go into…^ The hat stopped talking. Yet it didn't last for long, as only moments later the hat almost blasted Victor's eardrums off. "RAVENCLAW!" He jumped in his seat and took the hat off of his head quickly. He joined the table with the clapping students, though he kept eyeing the hat. He found that he preferred the blue and bronze colours of his new house over the ones at the Gryffindor table. However, he believed that to be because the colours weren't as shockingly bright. He sat in one of the empty chairs next to a boy that introduced himself as Terry Boot. He nodded to him, keeping silent as the last two people were sorted. The headmaster stood up, yet Victor thought that he looked strange. He spoke some words and the food appeared. Victor's eyes practically bugged out of his head at the sight of all the food in front of him. He wondered why they were eating that much, for he knew that a lot of people could use the food. He knew it from personal experience, but he kept his mouth shut as he carefully portioned himself out some food.

**Up at the Head Table**

While the students were chattering away almost idly with some of the conversation being on the missing Potter boy, all the conversation at the Head Table revolved right around that very child. McGonagall sat on the left side of Dumbledore, questioning him about the missing boy. "You said that the boy wasn't appearing on the self-addressed envelopes. Are you sure that he's even alive?" She knew that she had warned Dumbledore of leaving the boy with the Muggles. She had told him that over and over again throughout the years, yet the man never wanted to listen. He only wanted to know what his instruments said. She figured that they must have been malfunctioning. The instruments only told them that the boy was alive and 'safe'. She didn't believe he was ever safe, but she couldn't question him about that particular part.

Dumbledore frowned. "I know that he is. My spells show that he is. I don't know where he went. It's as if he's disappeared. I went to the Dursleys after the mail went out. Mr. Dursley had no idea what I was talking about, though Petunia glared and said that no freaks were living there. She then proceeded to tell me that I wasn't welcome." The sound of Dumbledore's voice made it look as if he were truly perplexed. McGonagall wasn't surprised. She hadn't expected the Dursleys to be that kind to the boy. She was worried that they had called the name of a person that hadn't even gotten a letter. She knew that there were only two reasons that could cause his address to be missing. Those reasons were either that he was dead, or that he was no longer going by that name. She decided to secretly scan the tables to see if she could see someone that looked like James Potter. It was easy to miss an appearance when someone went by another name. Yet she couldn't see anyone that struck her as looking like James or Lily Potter. She shook her head.

"I told you that you shouldn't have left him there and to check on the boy." She gave Dumbledore a look that told him what she thought. There was a snort from a short distance away. McGonagall looked at the person that had made the noise. It was one Severus Snape. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is there something that you wanted to say, Severus?" She waited to see if he would give an answer that was unlikely to be either scathing or insulting to the intelligence of a person.

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, Minerva, I was going to say that I'm not surprised the Potter boy didn't show up. He's likely to be as bigheaded as his father. I can see him changing his name just to spite everyone." He shook his head in amusement. Minerva glared at him. She didn't like how he wouldn't let go of an old grudge. She knew that he held one, but thought that he would grow out of it over the years. It turned out that she was wrong.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Now, don't fight you two. I'm sure that we'll get to the bottom of this." He nodded to himself, almost like he thought that the solution would be an easy one. McGonagall wasn't so certain, but she remained silent and returned to her meal. She didn't want to dash Dumbledore's hopes. The man seemed to live on his cheer. Her eyes were drawn over to Victor. She knew that there was something familiar about him, something that tickled at her mind. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was intent on keeping an eye on him. She had never heard the name Vauxhall before, which meant that she assumed that he was a Muggleborn. She shook her head and focused on her meal. She did cast little glances at Severus, but he seemed to be watching something that she couldn't really make out. Sighing, she decided to let it all go. There was nothing else she could do, at least as far as she knew.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. Hm…Interesting things happen. Later.


	17. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 16_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,388_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 16

Victor followed the other students throughout the castle during his first day of classes. As it was Wednesday, he had attended Charms, Herbology, and History of magic. He had then decided that they were somewhat interesting. However, he was rather glad at having those classes, for his Monday schedule had him attending Astronomy late at night. He didn't like the idea of attending a class that late in the day, but that was mainly because he was the kind of person that had learned to fall asleep early.

However, this didn't stop Victor from finding himself in the library at the end of the school day. This had to do with the fact that the other Ravenclaws had practically dragged him to the place. They had insisted that they needed to start their homework. While Victor was enthusiastic in his search for knowledge, he didn't necessarily think that he had to get started on his homework within seconds of the last bell. He sighed and looked at the other first years that were diligently looking through their textbooks for the answers to their essays. He shook his head and looked down at the one he had attempted to start. The essay was for Charms. Flitwick and Sprout had been the only teachers to assign work, but they had given them a week to do it in. He shook his head and made his way towards one of the bookshelves. He didn't want to bother with listening to the scratch of quills from the other students. He wanted something to read. He rubbed his eyes and stared at one of the books that didn't have a title on the spine. "Why did I git placed in the same house as these people?" He put the book out of his mind for the moment. He was focused upon the thoughts that ran through his mind.

He set his head against one of the bookshelves and closed his eyes. He knew why he had been placed in Ravenclaw, but he also felt that he was out of his depth with the other students. It looked almost as if the Ravenclaws were mindless intellectuals. Most of the conversation that he heard from his year mates had been about classes. Victor sighed and let his thoughts travel down the path that they had started on. 'It's ridiculous! I know that Remus believes that I'll fit in with the Ravenclaws, but I don't feel like I do. I just…These people are focused strictly on school. Why can't someone just love to learn and gain knowledge for their own sake?' He shook his head to try and get the thoughts out of it.

He looked back at the book that was blank. There were many others around it, which made it strange that it was the only one that didn't have a title written upon the spine. He slid the book off of the shelf. He turned the book over to see what the cover said, but it was also blank. He opened the book and saw that it was handwritten. Inside was a neat handwriting that was randomly interrupted by a slight twitch at the end of every line. It was this strange line mark that kind of went up rather abruptly. He let out a slow breath and began to read what was one the front page. It appeared to be an entry of some kind.

_September the first 1971_

_I don't know why I'm writing in this book, but it's one of the few things that my mother gave me. She didn't give me a lot, though that was because she couldn't. I was sent to school looking like some street kid. Well, I'm probably a little better dressed then they are. However, my mother apparently saved the money to give me this book. She told me that I deserved something to keep my thoughts in. I don't see why._

_I was sorted into Slytherin tonight. My mother will probably be rather disappointed, seeing as she was a Ravenclaw. I don't see why I would be anything like her. I'm not a weakling. I love my mother, but she's so weak when it comes to HIM. I'm not even going to give the man the dignity of being called my father. I don't think that we're related. I know that we can't be. For one thing, I don't look like him. So many people say that I look like him with bits of my mother, but I know that I don't._

_ I don't even know how I got onto this train of thought. I don't like thinking about HIM. The man is a complete nightmare! Luckily, I've managed to escape for the time being. That's a nice thought. I have managed to escape the house that smells like booze and smoke for a little while. I really don't want to go back there. _

_At least I'm at school with Lily; she's someone that I like to spend time around. She even stood up to the idiots that wanted to taunt me. Apparently they've decided to call me Snivellus. I hate the name. It's not my fault that I came here with a cold. I'll find some way to get back at them. They made me look like a cry baby in front of Lily. Interesting, it appears as if I've managed to figure something out. I guess that mother did one thing right by giving me this book. Now if only she would tell me who I'm related to._

_Severus Snape_

Victor blinked at the end of the entry. 'This is Professor Snape's journal…How did it end up here?' He looked around and quickly put the book into his pocket. He wasn't about to let anyone else read what he had. 'I'll give this back to him. He shouldn't have let it out of his sight.' He shook his head and walked towards the end of the bookshelves. He stepped out of the aisle and bumped into someone that was walking by.

He blinked as he ended up with a face full of bushy brown hair. He made a noise and stepped back. He was greeted with the sight of a girl in Gryffindor robes. She looked at him, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry about that. I was just going to get a book from this area. I'm so glad that I found the library." Victor blinked at her yet again. He was a little shocked at her enthusiasm. She didn't seem to notice his shock. "I love reading. I read all of our textbooks already." Victor nodded a bit. He wasn't why she was talking to him, but he remained silent. Of course, he ended up jumping when he heard a meow from near his feet. He looked down and saw Willow.

He bent over and picked her up. "What are yeh doin' 'ere, Willow? I left yeh in the dorm." He ignored the girl that was standing there in favour of holding onto his cat. She began to purr happily in his arms. He looked at the girl that was still standing there.

She cleared her throat. "That's your cat?" He nodded. The girl smiled. "May I pet her?" He nodded again. She reached out and scratched Willow under the chin. Willow began to purr happily at that, tilting her head back to give the girl better access. The Gryffindor chuckled. "My name's Hermione Granger by the way. What's your name?" She looked at Victor.

He made a noise in his throat before answering. "Victor, Victor Vauxhall." He watched as she nodded and gave Willow one last scratch. "I was jus' gunna head back to meh dorm. I'll see yeh in class." He then stepped around Hermione and went back to the table where his stuff was. The other Ravenclaws were still doing their homework. Gathering his stuff, he left the library. He looked down at Willow. "I wish I knew how yeh got out of the dorm. Never mind that now…That girl was odd." He shrugged and began his search for the Ravenclaw Common Room. He would find his way, for he was good at getting where he needed to. That was a skill that he had learned early on in life, but it proved to be useful.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. Interesting little piece, huh? Hope that everyone likes it. Later.


	18. Chapter 17

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 17_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,290_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 17

Victor had yet to return the book to Severus Snape, though he had made sure to keep the book hidden in the bottom of his trunk. He had intended to give it to the man after his first potions lesson. However, the man had unnerved him to the point that he had forgotten that the book was in his bag. He really didn't know what it was, but Severus startled him more than anything ever had before. He let out a slow breath and tried to focus on something other than the thoughts that travelled through his head. In fact, he was working on his potions essay as a means to focus on something else. It was the first weekend of the year and he wanted to get his homework done before the next week started. This had the effect of him finishing most of his essays on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The potions essay was the last one that he had to do; yet he had waited to work on it.

Victor closed his eyes as he listened to the conversations that went on in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Many of the students appeared to have friendships with the others, but those in his first year weren't trying to socialize in that manner. He had finally gotten tired of listening to the sounds and gathered his materials. He felt that going to the library would be a better option. There was just something about the Ravenclaws that annoyed him, but he was determined to stick it out for Remus' sake. Yet, that it didn't stop him from wondering whether or not he really fit into the house that he had been sorted into. There was something about the house that felt off to him. He left the Common Room rather quickly.

He made his way to the library in silence. He was lost in his thoughts and unsure of what he was supposed to do. Of course, that only lasted for a certain amount of time. He bumped into someone and fell to the ground. The person stood there as he gathered his materials. That annoyed Victor, as he thought that the person could have at least helped him gather his supplies. He finished gathering all of his materials. He looked at the person that he had run into after he had stood up. The person looked to be around his age. He had red hair and freckles to a ridiculous level. All in all, Victor sort of had to shut off the part of him that noticed the boy's appearance. The number of freckles he had was enough to make Victor's eyes cross. The boy gave him a small smile. "Sorry, mate." Victor blinked at that. He didn't know why the boy was calling him his mate, but he kept his mouth shut. He stared at the boy with a sense of confusion on his face. That silence seemed to annoy the redhead. "Are you going to say anything?"

Victor cleared his throat. "Well, I was thinkin' about yeh callin' meh mate." He shook his head and attempted to step around the boy. He wasn't sure what it was, but the boy stopped him. He looked at him. "I'm tryin' teh git to the library." He was glaring darkly at the boy by now. He didn't like how the pre-teen was treating him. He wanted to get away, yet the redhead didn't seem to take the hint that he didn't want to talk.

The redhead glared. "What's your problem? Calling someone mate isn't a mean thing." Victor rolled his eyes and managed to duck around the boy and ignored him. He didn't particularly like how the boy was trying to be somewhat controlling, though that was Victor's opinion. He ignored the boy and managed to get away and go to the library. He continued to walk in silence, making sure to block any thoughts of the annoying pre-teen from his mind. He made it to the library and sat down at a table. A moment later, he was joined by someone else. He looked up to see Neville. He smiled at he boy. He preferred being around him compared to most of the other people that he had met. He yawned a bit and opened his books.

Victor flipped a page in the book moments before glancing at his friend. "How yeh doin', Neville?" During the past week, Victor had noticed that his friend didn't seem as happy as he had been when they met on the train. He kind of wondered what it was, but knew better than to say anything. However, he was glad to see that Neville was once again looking more like the boy that he had first met.

Neville shrugged. "Fine. I don't like Snape. He scares me and I'm unsure of how to do the essay that he assigned." This caused Victor to smile. He knew how to help the boy in this instance. He wasn't necessarily good at brewing potions yet, but Remus had given him enough skills in his cram sessions to where he could help with this. Neville saw Victor's smile. "I take it that you can help?" Victor nodded and took Neville's potions book and opened it to the right section. He would answer questions, but not hand over the information for nothing. Remus had told him that sometimes giving up answers to people got the students to go to that one person. Victor didn't want that at all, yet he knew that he would help Neville.

Neville went to working on what he had been given, which left him completely unaware of how Victor's mind was wandering. He was having trouble focusing in that moment, though he wasn't sure why. He began to tap his quill against his nose. It did tickle it a bit, but he didn't take any notice. He began to think about the book. He was sort of curious as to why that book had been left in the library. He also felt the need to tell someone, yet he was certain that he shouldn't. He sighed and closed his eyes. He felt that need so intensely that he looked back at Neville. "Neville, I have somet'ing to tell yeh." He didn't even notice that he had almost pronounced every word properly. Neville looked at him and blinked. Victor let out a slow breath. "I found a book t'at was not meant to be in here. It was a diary…Snape's diary." Neville's eyes widened at that one. Victor looked at the table. "I took it out and intended teh give it to him during the first potions class, but I chickened out. Now I dun know what teh do." Neville looked at the table.

Neville let out a slow breath. "Maybe you should just leave it on one of the tables after a potions class. It would make the most sense." He nodded and thought that it made sense. Of course, he knew that was what he would do. The suggestion had caused Victor to feel glad about telling Neville, though neither of them really liked the idea of Severus ever finding out. Neville watched his friend. "Have you read it?" Victor shook his head. He wasn't going to tell Neville that he had read one entry. The two let the subject drop after that, choosing to instead focus upon their essays. Once they did that, they began to fall into a question and answer session. Victor was glad to now have a plan, which made it easier to focus on something else. However, the only thing left to figure out was how to execute it, though he seriously hoped that he could.

A/N: There we go, a tiny bit short, but it was a harder chapter to write. Hope that people like it. Later.


	19. Chapter 18

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 18_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,168_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. For those that question the potion mentioned. It won't be ready until October in this story.

Chapter 18

Victor was standing outside of the Transfigurations classroom on Monday morning. It was in one of the few classes that he had to attend twice a week, though he wasn't sure as to why. Yet, he was staring into space at that particular moment. He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't realize that someone had come up behind him. Of course, he did realize it when they grabbed him on the arm and started to drag him away. This was something that always elicited a reaction out of Victor, which, without him even thinking about it, caused him to kick the person that was holding onto his arm. He hit the person's shin as hard as he could with his foot. The person let him go and began to swear up a storm. It was then that Victor felt terror take over his mind. This was because he had recognized the voice as belonging to Severus Snape. Looking at the person, he saw that it was Severus standing over him. The man was holding his shin while he glared at Victor.

Victor backed away, swallowing from the fear that coursed through his veins. He knew that he was in a lot of trouble for kicking the man, but he let out a slow breath and looked at Severus again. He didn't say anything, though the man didn't appear to be ready to force him to either. Victor cleared his throat after a moment. He knew that he had to say something to the professor. "I'm sorry Professor Snape. I…I jus' reacted. I did nuh mean to hurt yeh." He realized how weak that sounded, but the man made him nervous. Of course, it was his nerves that caused his speech to return to what it had been before he had met Remus.

Severus glared at Victor some more and straightened up. His shin was still in pain from the kick that Victor had delivered, yet he wasn't going to allow himself to look like it. "That reaction was uncalled for, Mr. Vauxhall. You're to come with me. We have much that needs to be discussed." Victor swallowed again and followed the man. It was purely out of self-preservation that he did so, though he really wanted to run away. In fact, he didn't like the idea of missing his class, but he was good at keeping that to himself. Severus walked through the halls with a slight limp in his normally steady gait. Victor stared straight at the man's back as he followed.

Severus led him into a room that the boy had never seen before. Victor looked around and saw some jars sitting on the shelves. It was those jars caused him to think that it was the man's office. It made sense to him, for they were close to the dungeon classroom that held the potions lab. Severus gestured for him to sit on a wooden chair. He then went and sat in a more comfortable looking chair nearer to the wall. Victor walked over, though his posture was quite rigid. He then cleared his throat before trying to speak again. There was something about Severus that made it difficult for him to control how he talked. "Wha'…Did I do somet'ing to merit t'is? I know I kicked yeh, but I apologize fer that. I did nuh mean teh hurt yeh." Severus watched Victor.

Severus scowled. "This is going to be simple, Mr. Vauxhall." He stopped speaking for several moments. Victor didn't like how Severus had stopped speaking. There was something about the man's actions that were even more startling than normal. Severus stood up, causing Victor to jump at the action. Severus crossed his arms over his chest. He then turned away with a scowl on his face. "I've been asked, for some unknown reason, to help you learn about the Wizarding World. The headmaster made this request. I don't see why, but you're going to report to this office every Tuesday for lessons in culture, speech, and writing. I will find out why the headmaster wants this, but you will do it. I expect you to be here at seven in the evening. Do not be late." He turned back to Victor and glared darkly at the pre-teen. Victor sat up straighter and let out a short breath. He wasn't sure what to think about Severus' statement. Severus looked at him. "Now get out and go to your class."

He nodded and left the room as quickly as he could. He was out of there before he could even register what had happened. He walked towards where his classroom had been. His mind wandered a bit. 'Why would the headmaster care about that? Is there something that the man knows about me? I don't think so. I mean, what could anyone know about me? I'm just some orphan that was left on the streets. I was raised by another orphan. I wish that someone could answer what was going on.' Victor shook his head and pushed those thoughts away. However, they came back and continued to haunt his mind. 'No, that's not possible. There's no way that he could know anything about me. He probably does this for all the students that were left behind.' He ran towards his classroom, but only because he knew that he didn't have long before the bell rang. Luckily, he got to the classroom on time. He went to his seat and tried to not think about what had happened. He wanted to focus on his class, which was exactly what he planned to do.

**Back in Severus' Office**

Severus was staring into space after Victor had left his office. He couldn't understand what the headmaster was doing by ordering him to help the young Ravenclaw, but he knew that he had no choice. "What was the headmaster thinking? I know that man is doing something that only makes sense to him. I don't like this at all. He meddles a little too much." He glared into space and stood up. He didn't have a class during that period, yet he had things that he had to do. "I will find out what it is that the headmaster knows. I bet that it has something do with the potion I'm being forced to brew." He then walked into his lab and checked on the potions that he had going. One of them was the potion to determine Victor's bloodline. The man didn't expect anything to have changed, but he checked on it anyways. He stared at the liquid and added the next ingredient. He stirred it the way that the instructions said and let it steep over a low flame. He then went to another cauldron. "The headmaster must know something. I just wish I knew what was going on in that man's head." He pushed the thoughts away and began to focus on his potion. After all, he didn't have anything else to do.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. Not necessarily very long, but hm…Dumbledore's meddling for some reason. Hope you all enjoy. Later.


	20. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 19_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,343_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. For those that question the potion mentioned. It won't be ready until October in this story.

Chapter 19

Victor wasn't looking forward to what would likely be one of many private lessons with Severus Snape. The man had made it quite clear that Victor had to be on time for the meetings, though he didn't explicitly say that. This was made worse by the fact that it happened to be the first private meeting between the two of them. As it was, Victor had felt the need to ask other students about whether they had ever had such lessons, but the majority of people that he had asked had given him sympathetic looks. Those that didn't give him such looks had given him a negative reply in response. These replies left him wondering why he was being forced to receive such lessons. Yet, despite both his misgivings and what he had been told, he made his way down to Severus' office after dinner. He focused on his footsteps, for he was trying not to think about what he was likely to face. Luckily, his memory of the last time he had been there allowed him to know where he was going without looking.

He reached the door that he remembered as being the one that opened into Severus' office. He knew that beyond it was the one man that he didn't really want to see. He let out a slow breath and knocked on the door. He waited for someone to tell him that he could enter, but the door practically flew open faster than he blink. He looked at the person that was in front of him. It was Severus. Severus stared at him in silence for several moments before finally stepping aside. Victor took that as his order to come in and quickly walked into the room. Severus slammed the door behind him, which had the effect of making Victor jump. He turned and faced Severus. There was something about the man that unnerved him. It was a feeling that he couldn't shake. Severus walked forward. "I will be teaching you…Essential skills. Now, I'm rather certain that neither of us likes this arrangement, so, to make this go as smooth as possible, you will listen to me and not ask any questions until I say that you may do so. Do you understand me, Mr. Vauxhall?" Victor nodded and swallowed once again, his mind coming up with any number of gruelling ways the man could torture him. Of course, he shoved those thoughts aside.

Severus picked up a book and dropped it in front of Victor. "This book shall be what you will write your notes in. I'm only giving it to you because I don't want you losing these notes. The less questions you ask, the more smoothly these lessons will go." Victor nodded and carefully took the journal. Severus didn't seem to know what to say next, but he eventually straightened up once more and began to work his way through what he was going to do. He looked at Victor and cleared his throat. "We will begin with some Wizarding etiquette. It's obvious that Lupin hasn't taught you anything…" Victor started to tune Severus out when he said that. He didn't like that the man had insulted Remus. He thought of Remus as a good person, what with him taking Jesse and Victor in. He was mentally growling in his head, but that didn't last for too much longer. He was about to say something when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that Severus was standing over him. "You would do well to pay attention." Severus was glaring darkly at the boy. There was a knock on his office door. The man frowned and looked at the door. He was going to go over and open it, but the door opened on its own. On the other side of the door was Albus Dumbledore.

The headmaster looked at them and smiled. "It's nice to see that you're willing to teach students, Severus. There are so many students that complain that you're a nasty teacher." He shook his head and walked into the room, making sure to close the door behind him. The duo watched the older man with eyes that showed just how little they trusted him. Victor didn't know him and wasn't going to trust someone that he didn't know. Severus, however wasn't sure about Dumbledore's motives, which led him to keeping his distrust of the headmaster at the top of his list. The two continued to watch as Dumbledore walked around the room. "Now Severus, what was I going to say? Ah, that's what it was. Please forgive me, as I had let the thought slip my mind. I did want you to teach Mr. Vauxhall, but think that maybe I should get Remus up here to continue the lessons that he had already started. Of course, he is helping take care of the young woman that's supposed to Mr. Vauxhall's mother." Victor blinked at the 'Mr. Vauxhall's mother' bit. He had never called Jesse his mother, nor had he ever had anyone refer to her as such. Most people said that they couldn't be related, as the two were nothing alike. It was enough to make people assume that they weren't related, which was true.

Severus crossed his arms. "You could have told me this before the lesson had begun, headmaster. I didn't want to do it to begin with." Victor silently agreed when Severus had said that particular statement. It was very apparent then that they were in agreement, but both of them ignored that fact. Severus continued to glare at Dumbledore. "Is there any other reason for your visit, headmaster?" Severus was in enough of a mood that he obviously wanted to be rid of Dumbledore as quickly as possible. Victor just wanted to get out of the room.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm sorry to interrupt the lesson." He stopped there, but both Severus and Victor noted that the man didn't look very apologetic. Dumbledore pulled out a lemon sherbet from his pocket and began to suck on it. "I just wanted to check in and see how things were going. I've noticed that the two of you are very similar in appearance." He shook his head. That got both Severus and Victor to look at each other. Neither of them could see what Dumbledore apparently saw. They shook their heads and looked back at him. Dumbledore smiled. "Oh, don't do that, Severus. You two are remarkably similar in appearance. Of course, you two also appear to be very distrusting of people. You can't go through life thinking that everyone is out to get you." Both Severus and Victor stared at Dumbledore in shock. They couldn't really understand what it was that Dumbledore was up to. Of course, Dumbledore smiled at them yet again. "Well, I need to go." He then turned out and walked out of the office.

Severus stared at the door for a moment before spinning around and looking at Victor. The two stared at each other. Severus suddenly shook his head and cleared his throat. "Well, I think that this lesson will be cut short. I'm not sure what the headmaster wants, but I'm not going to continue these lessons until I know if we're going to be forced to spend time together or not. Now get out." He gestured for Victor to leave. Victor went to put the book back on the table, but Severus shook his head. "Just keep it. All students need one anyways." Victor blinked at that, but nodded and quickly left. He knew that he had remained unnaturally silent, but there wasn't much that he could say. Severus had pretty much made it impossible for Victor to get a word in edgewise. That little fact made it easier to remain silent. Victor's mind was wandering a bit, but he pushed all thoughts aside. After all, he had gotten out of that meeting. He just hoped that they didn't continue. He really didn't want those lessons anyways.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. It's a little bit short, but mainly because it's kind of leading into what will happen soon. So, hope that you enjoy. Later.


	21. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 20_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 906_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. For those that question the potion mentioned. It won't be ready until October in this story.

Chapter 20

Victor stared at the door that led to his dorm. He had the book that Severus had given to him in his arms. He wasn't sure what it was about the man that unsettled him, but he thought that Severus' behaviour had been a little odd. He went and looked at the journal. The man had told him it was for something, yet he couldn't recall what that something was. Not that it mattered, for there was something that compelled him to try and write in it. He just wasn't sure what. He tilted his head to the side. He could take notes of what he read, which he knew would help improve his writing skills. Yet, he felt as if he shouldn't do that with the book. An owl began to tap at the window. Victor looked at it and realized that it was Remus' owl. He walked over to the window and opened it. The owl flew over to the boy's bed and held his leg out.

He walked over to the owl and took the letter from the bird. The bird flew out the still open window. Victor frowned and looked at Willow, not that she moved from being curled up on his pillow. She looked at him and yawned. Opening the letter, Victor shook his head and sat on the bed. He knew that Remus wouldn't have written unless he had something to say, or so Victor had assumed. He unfolded the letter and carefully began to read it. He had to continue going slowly, but he was getting a little faster as he went along.

_Victor,_

_I wanted to let you know that Dumbledore told me what was going on. I'm sorry that he's put you with Severus, but I'm talking with the headmaster about bringing me in. I know that I can't be there all the time, yet I will do my best to help you. However, I want you to be careful and do whatever the man tells you. It's the best way to survive. _

_Another thing that I needed to write to you about concerns the blood you had taken during the summer. It was for a test. The results of the test should be in somewhat soon. We need to know if you're related to anyone. It's not something that I like to admit, but it has to be done. I know that you don't like the idea. The thing is, that's the way the Wizarding World works. I doubt that there's someone that will be recognized. If there is, I'll be shocked. You don't strike me as anyone that would be related to someone in the Wizarding World. However, I know that Jesse is important to you and I will fight to keep things the way they are._

_ That's the only thing that I can say on the subject. Now, I want you to remember to listen to Severus. I will keep working to get you away from that man. I know that he's the kind of man that will likely stress you out. So, take care and I will keep you informed on my progress. I don't really expect much, but it can happen every now and then. Take care of Willow and do your schoolwork. I want your responsibility level to continue to rise. I'm also proud of you for being sorted into Ravenclaw. I hope that you're getting along with the others. Please write to me soon._

_Remus_

Victor stared at the letter and shook his head. He looked at Willow and sighed. "I hope that Remus will be proud of me. I dun think that I fit in among t'ese Ravenclaws. They dun feel like they're the people for me." He closed his eyes and sighed. His mind began to go over the situation. There was something about the situation that was odd. He wasn't sure what it was, but he wanted to know why Remus was told about his supposed lessons. He looked at the book again and decided what he wanted to do with it. He let out a slow breath and got out the writing implements that he had been given by Remus. Opening the book, he let out a breath and began to write. He knew that he was practicing his writing in that moment, but what mattered were the words that he had to write down. He focused on that.

_I don't know what to say in this book. I know that there's something going on. I can't help the overwhelming feeling that keeps coming over me. I want to find what's going on right now. Remus is apparently trying to fight for me. Only Jesse has ever done that before. I wish that I knew what to think right now. I really don't know what it is._

He finished writing. It wasn't much, but he knew that it was enough. He let the ink dry and put his quill away. He closed his eyes and sighed. He was tired and wasn't sure what had caused it. He looked at Willow. "I dun know anymore, Willow. I really dun know." He sighed and curled up into a ball on his bed. Willow got up and curled up next to him. He smiled at her and began to pet her. She meowed and let him. That's what he needed right then, and he was very grateful for that.

A/N: There we go, some of Victor's mind. And his writing is neater than it should have been because writing it in Victor's voice made it headache inducing. However, as everyone can see, his mind is all over the place. That is why what he wrote is so disjointed. It will get better as he continues to write. You'll all see. So it will be okay. Later.


	22. Chapter 21

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 21_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 920_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. For those that question the potion mentioned. It won't be ready until October in this story.

Chapter 21

Victor found that blending in at Hogwarts wasn't that easy. It had been a month since he had arrived at the school and he felt as if he still stood out. Yet, he had lost the nervousness that he had started the school year with. This was something that he was glad for, as he found that it allowed his confidence to return. It was finally October and Victor felt ready to go forward with trying to blend in. He still spent time writing in the book that Severus had given him, but only because it helped balance his thoughts. The balance of those thoughts had allowed him to become better friends with Neville, which was something that he was happy about.

At that particular moment, however, Victor was staring into space. He had discovered that the weather was nice and had gone outside to sit on the grass. The only problem was that his mind had been going in so many directions that he wasn't sure which way he should face. Luckily, he wasn't about to let it get to him. Leaning back, he had his legs crossed and Willow was snoozing in his lap. Victor was petting her. His mind was all over the place as he tried to assimilate that had happened to him over the past couple of months. He looked down at the kitten that was happily sleeping and decided to focus on the moment.

It was moments later that his contemplation was interrupted by the arrival of a girl that he had seen around the school, though he had barely spoken to her. She acted like many of the Ravenclaws that he had seen, which was a bit of a know-it-all. As it was, he saw her in Charms every week. He was glad about that, for he didn't feel like listening to yet another person lecture him on the importance of studying. The girl cleared her throat. "Hello, I've seen you around, but you and I haven't really had a chance to talk. You're rather quiet. Neville says that you're name is Victor Vauxhall." Victor blinked at her.

Victor cleared his throat. "Hello. Yeh are?" He didn't say anything other then that. The reason for this was because he still wasn't sure what to think of her. Of course, this mainly had to do with the fact that he was still working on being social with other people. He was making somewhat slow progress.

The girl cleared her throat. "Hermione Granger." He nodded. Hermione smiled at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Victor. I can call you Victor, right?" He nodded in response, for he had no idea why she would call him by anything else. She wasn't someone that worked at the school. This meant that it all right for her to use his first name. Hermione smiled some more. "I wanted to ask you some questions, but you're such a quiet person." She stopped there. Victor watched her.

He sighed. "It fine fer yeh teh call meh Victor. I can call yeh Hermione?" She nodded, her eyes wide at the words that came out of his mouth. Victor was getting better at saying his h's, which was something he found to be a good thing. "I was spendin' time with Willow. How can I help yeh?" Hermione continued to stare at him. She didn't seem to know what to ask. He waited for her to say something, but she didn't get a chance to. A shadow fell over the two of them. This caused them to look up at the person.

The person that was standing above them was Severus Snape. The man had his arms crossed and was looking at the duo. The look on the man's face was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. "Mr. Vauxhall, you will be coming with me. There's something that we need to discuss." Victor nodded and got up. Holding onto Willow, he proceeded to walk off. He didn't wave to Hermione, though that was because he had his arms full of the still sleeping kitten.

The two walked to the man's office. Victor's back became stiff when he realized where they were going. However, he kept his mouth shut. He had no choice, for he was trying to keep control of his breathing. He watched Severus. The man spun around when they entered his office. Victor took a step back. Severus picked up a piece paper and thrust it into Victor's hands. "This was a part of a potion that I was required to brew for you. This was to identify who your family was." Victor frowned at that. He was quite sure that he didn't want to go to the people that had left him on the streets. In fact, he was praying that that nobody would separate him from Jesse. Severus rubbed his eyes. "It wouldn't give me an accurate birth date. I believe that's because someone has placed a block on you. Such blocks could be used to keep your heritage a secret. Yet, it looks as if one fact was allowed to be revealed." Severus frowned as he intently studied Victor. "Read it." Victor read who the one parent that the man could identify was. Victor stalled at the sight of what he saw. The paper read _Severus Snape_. He continued to stare at the paper. He then looked at Severus. The words on the paper startled him, and that's all there was to it.

A/N: Well, a little bit of a cliff-hanger. Hope that you all enjoy. Later.


	23. Chapter 22

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 22_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 860_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. Someone commented on where Victor's name came from. The reason for the names came from A) the streets he was found around, and B) those were the only streets my sister found on her map of London when I was first working on the story. So yeah, that's how come he's named Victor Vauxhall.

Chapter 22

Victor looked right at Severus after his mind had finally registered what was written upon the parchment. He still couldn't believe that Severus Snape was his father. Of course, it was a fact that he had to accept. He knew that the man didn't lie, which meant that he had told him the truth about what the potion did. At that realization, he began to hope that the man wouldn't take him away from Jesse. After all, he didn't want to leave the one person that had been good for him. She, in Victor's mind, was his guardian.

He waited for Severus to say something, but the man continued to stare at him. It appeared as if he was trying to find the resemblance that both were quite certain didn't exist. Victor looked away. He didn't want to see the look on the man's face. Severus cleared his throat after a moment. "I don't know how this happened, but you're not going to speak about it to anyone. Do you understand me?" Victor nodded. Severus' demand was one that he could easily comply with, as he didn't want anyone else to know the truth.

Victor looked at Severus and tried to find some similarities in their appearances. He could see that they had the same kind of hair, though Severus' was dirtier than Victor's. In fact, Victor thought Severus' hair looked more like his had been before Remus had taken him in. Victor slowly blinked. "I understand, sir. Can I go?" He spoke very slowly, as he was trying to speak like everyone else. He had noticed that Severus seemed to glare at him less when he spoke 'properly'. It was a hard thing for him to do, but he was working at it.

Severus waved his hand and Victor took that as his permission to leave. He turned away from Severus right as a knock came upon the door. Victor looked over his shoulder at Severus. Severus wasn't looking at Victor. He was busy glaring at the door. Victor took a step forward to continue leaving, but Severus walked over and set a hand on his shoulder. This left Victor feeling startled at the fact that the man had touched him. Severus glared at the door some more. "Enter."

The door opened and revealed Remus Lupin. Both Severus and Victor stared at the man. Victor hadn't expected Remus to show up at the school, though he was glad that he had. Severus, on the other hand, was angry to see the man. Remus looked at them and smiled at Victor. "I came to take over your lessons. The headmaster and I have finally gotten the situation and agreement worked out." Victor nodded and went to step forward, but Severus stopped him. He hadn't removed his hand from Victor's shoulder.

Severus glared at the man. "Well, that's a great thing to hear, Lupin. However, that does NOT give you the right to come into my office. Mr. Vauxhall and I were having an important conversation. You didn't need to come here at all. He would have been done relatively soon." Victor knew that they had already finished their conversation, but there was something in Severus' tone that kept him from speaking. It was almost like the man was being protective of him. It was a strange shift, yet it didn't make him feel safe. The man still had that intimidating presence, which wasn't changed by the new information.

Victor cleared his throat and got the attention of both men. "I dun want to interrupt yeh, but I jus' want teh be on meh way. I have school work teh do." He stared at them. He hadn't bothered to try and make himself sound like a normal person. He just wanted to get out of the room before the two men flipped out.

Both of them stared at the boy. It was almost as if they had forgotten that he was there. It wasn't something that he appreciated, but he didn't tell anyone that. Instead, he managed to push Severus' hand off of him and left. Remus quickly followed. Despite that he was glad that Remus was there, Victor didn't want to talk to the man. There was something that caused him to feel like he didn't want to. Remus caught up to the boy. "Victor, I'm sorry for not listening to anything that you had to say in there. Severus and I have this tendency to fight when we're around each other." Victor stopped and looked at Remus.

Victor sighed a moment later. "I understand. I just…I want teh be alone. Can I git that?" Remus nodded and let Victor leave. He did so, glad that Remus was letting him walk away. He closed his eyes and tried to not think about what was going on. He had a lot on his mind already. He wasn't sure that he wanted to add something else. He was eleven-years-old, yet he felt as if someone was trying to control his life. He had no idea what it was, but he didn't like it. He just hoped that he would get through it.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. Hm…I don't think Victor knows what to think, and now Remus is likely suspecting something. Hope that you all enjoyed. Later.


	24. Chapter 23

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 23_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,295_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 23

It amazed Victor how quickly time could pass when he was busy with both avoiding a majority of the students and schoolwork. He was still hanging out with Neville, but he didn't want to spend time with many of the other students. In fact, he was also trying to avoid being noticed by Severus, which was rather difficult. This combination had the effect of causing Victor to barely even look at Remus during the extracurricular lessons that the headmaster had arranged. Yet, while Victor was experiencing all of this, Halloween had arrived at the school. Victor, who had never had a chance to celebrate the holiday, was shocked at what he had walked into. The first thing he saw was the excess of candy spread across all of the house tables. That part alone was enough to almost make him pass out from shock, but it was worse when the food arrived. When he saw how much food there was, he began to feel very annoyed at the excess. He had grown up on the streets. This meant that seeing such excess made him angry. After all, he knew of people who could use that food.

He sat at the Ravenclaw table, staring at the kids that were stuffing their faces while talking to each other. He had his own plate of food, but chose to be controlled and not overdo it. It came with the fact that he didn't feel the need to 'pig out'. Plus, he didn't truly want to socialize with his classmates. This was mainly because his head had been pounding all day, though the loud noises in the Great Hall were making it worse. Someone touched his arm. He jumped and turned to look at them. It was Terry Boot, one of his fellow Ravenclaws. The boy held up his hands. "Woah, sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Victor knew that Terry was an okay kid, but that was because Terry wasn't as snooty as some of the other Ravenclaws that he had met. The first one that came to mind was a certain girl named Cho Chang.

Victor cleared his throat. Yet, before he could say anything, someone came running into the Great Hall. He recognized the person as Professor Quirrell. He didn't like the man, but only because he absolutely couldn't stand the man's smell. He thought that it was worse than when he, Victor, had gone unwashed for a week. Quirrell was panting from his run. "Headmaster…Headmaster…They've come out of the forest! There are werewolves on the grounds!" His eyes were wide after he said those words. "They said that they want to talk with you." He then lost consciousness and fell to the ground. Victor noticed that the man was easily terrified, but he had never seen him collapse or pass out. Students began to freak out at the mention of werewolves. Victor, who knew Remus, didn't believe that all werewolves were bad people. He thought that they would be like humans, which meant that there were bad ones and good ones.

Dumbledore's wand shot sparks into the air. "Calm down, we don't know why they're here. I shall go and speak with them, for not all werewolves are dangerous. I know that some people know this." He shot looks at a few people. He then cleared his throat. "The prefects shall take the students back to their common rooms and the feast will continue there. I will speak with the leader of the werewolves while this happens. I believe that the leader and myself can come to a compromise on whatever it is that they wish to speak about." He then dismissed all of the students.

The students began to follow their prefects to their common rooms. However, Victor was quite curious as to what the teachers were going to do about the werewolves. Plus, he wondered if there was a reason that the students were freaking out over the mention of werewolves. He looked around and saw Neville trip on the stairs towards Gryffindor tower. Yet, Victor ended up getting angry when he saw that nobody seemed to notice this fact. He didn't like that his friend was being ignored. He slipped out of the group of students and went over to Neville. He helped him up. "Yeh okay, Nev?" Neville nodded and looked around. It didn't take long for Victor to realize that they were alone in the Entrance Hall, though that was because the teachers hadn't left the Great Hall by that point in time. Victor bit his lip and grabbed Neville's arm. He didn't want to do this part, but even he could admit that his curiosity was stronger than it should have been.

The doors to the Entrance Hall were open and Victor slipped through. Neville followed him, but mostly because he didn't want to be alone. There were a group of people standing outside of the castle. The group wore such shabby looking clothing that Victor easily sympathized with them. Victor went and hid behind a bush that was next to the castle. The people were close enough that he would be able to hear the conversation and not be seen. The teachers came out moments later. Neville swallowed and leaned into Victor. "You sure this is okay?" He was whispering so that nobody could hear him. Victor nodded. He really wanted to know what the werewolves were there to speak about.

A man stepped forward. "Headmaster, we're here to speak with you. We need sanctuary. There are people in the ministry that have begun to hunt us down." The man had black hair and appeared to be in his early twenties. Yet, the dark bags under his eyes marred that appearance. "We're looking for help. We know that you don't discriminate. We would greatly appreciate the help." Victor was intrigued at what they were saying, though he stayed silent while waiting to hear what the headmaster would say.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Of course, we can help you. At this time, however, it might be a little dangerous, though I do like to ignore danger at times." He was ignoring the whispers of the other teachers behind him. He seemed to be content with giving the werewolves what they wanted. Neville was shaking next to Victor. Victor ignored it. He didn't want to be distracted. Dumbledore spoke again. "Yet, that does have something to do with the fact that I like to make sure that everyone is protected. Now, I'm sure that the professors will help you set up some temporary homes near the lake. We'll need to get everyone used to this first before we push the boundaries of interaction." The teachers were still whispering, but did as he said. Dumbledore smiled and gestured for the man to follow him. "Why don't we go and speak in my office." The man nodded and followed Dumbledore into the castle.

The teachers began to lead the werewolves to the lake. Victor found it odd that Dumbledore had given in so easily. Yet, he also had the feeling that this had been planned. He knew that there was something more to the situation than he had seen. When the teachers and the werewolves had gone far enough away, he dragged Neville back into the school. Neville whimpered. "They're letting werewolves into the school."

Victor nodded. "Yeh, they are. I wonder wha' they up teh." He then shook his head. "Yeh head back to yeh dorm, Nev. I need teh return to mine." Neville nodded and Victor began to race up the stairs. He wanted to know what was going on, but he knew that he would figure it out. It was just who he was.

A/N: Well, that's an interesting twist. Hm…It seems as if Dumbledore might have planned the entire situation. Plus, it's definitely not going down the route of book one. Hope that you all enjoyed. Later.


	25. Chapter 24

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 24_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 915_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. This is an interlude chapter; so don't expect it very long.

Chapter 24

Staring into space, Victor sat on his bed. He was still intrigued by what he had heard and seen earlier that evening. However, he knew that it was best to go to a source instead of diving in alone. He got out a piece of parchment and a quill. He stared at it and sighed. His handwriting still needed a lot of work, but nearly two months of constant writing had helped. His only problem was that his hand hurt more than it had at one point. It was the whole part of not being used to gripping a quill or even writing on a regular basis. He had decided that he was going to ask Remus about why there would be werewolves at the school. Of course, he had to figure out what to say first. It took him a moment, but he figured it out and started writing his letter.

_Remus,_

_I had a question for you. I know that I shouldn't be sneaking around, but I was a little curious. A pack of werewolves appeared on school grounds during the feast. They were there to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore. The leader was asking for sanctuary at Hogwarts. He mentioned something about a ministry trying to get rid of them. I just wanted to know if you know anything. I guess that's not really a question, but I do want to know. Please respond quickly._

_Victor_

He stared at the letter that he had written and knew that it was short. He then sighed and went to staring out of the window. Most of the other kids were already asleep, yet Victor found that he couldn't sleep. It was as if something had taken that away from him. Victor decided to let his mind wander instead. He knew that there were a lot of things that he didn't understand about the Wizarding World, but he wasn't sure why the ministry would be involved. Of course, he wasn't really aware that there was a Ministry of Magic either. He looked at the top of his canopy and tried to think of a way to find out about the Wizarding World's politics. It was something that he felt the need to learn about, though it wasn't in that same driven manner that most Ravenclaws had. His need to learn seemed to be more controlled and focused. That was the main reason that he had trouble getting along with his housemates.

The door to the dorm slammed open. The other boys sat up and opened their curtains. They looked towards the door. Victor did as well, glad that he hadn't closed his curtains. In the doorway stood Severus Snape. He was glaring at the first year Ravenclaws. He cleared his throat. "Mr. Vauxhall, come with me. The headmaster wants to see you." Victor blinked at that one. It was a bit odd to hear those words. He slid out of his bed, pulled on a robe, and put on his shoes. He didn't want to walk on a stone floor without foot protection. He looked at the other boys in his dorm and saw that they were giving him looks of pity. He tried not to glare. Instead, he focused on following Severus out of the tower.

Severus ignored him as they walked through the castle. Yet, Victor quickly noticed that he was being led in the direction of the Dungeons. They got to the stairs of the dungeons and Severus spun towards Victor. Victor stepped back. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of the man's anger. Severus looked at him. "The headmaster doesn't want to see you. I wanted you out of that dorm to speak with you. I know that you were skulking around when the…Wolves were speaking to the headmaster. I will tell you this, do not say a word to anyone. Not even to the man that you live with. This is a delicate situation and those…Wolves are dangerous. I don't care what you do as long as it's not stupid. So keep silent. I would think you could do that. After all, you live with that man." He shook his head in disgust at the thought of Remus. Victor was angry at that, but he kept his mouth shut. He wasn't going to say anything yet.

Victor cleared his throat. "I understand, sir." He was once again speaking slowly. He knew that it was more likely that the man wasn't done with him, but he did hope that he was. He didn't want to hear anything else. After all, he knew that he would snap if Severus said another insulting word about Remus. He waited for Severus to nod or say something. The man was looking him up and down. He then waved for Victor to head back to his dorm, though he did hand him a written note first.

Victor stared at that. Severus watched. "That's in case you get caught." He then walked off. Victor frowned and began his trek back to his dorm. It was strange how Severus obviously didn't know how to handle his own child, but that seemed to be expected. After all, Victor didn't know how to react to having a father either. So, it wasn't surprising to see the confusion the two continually displayed. It was kind of expected really. He shook the thoughts out of his head and walked to his dorm. He wanted to get back. He had to.

A/N: Well, here we are, heading in another direction. This particular chapter is an interlude into the next part of the story. Hope that you enjoy. Later.


	26. Chapter 25

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 25_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words__ per __Chapter:_ 1,224_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 25

Victor stared at the wall of the castle's exterior. His mind was on how it appeared as if Remus wasn't willing to answer his letter about the werewolves. That thought made the fact that Victor had ignored Severus' command and sent the letter anyways feel rather pointless. Of course, he didn't believe that the dour man could control him, though it was obvious that Severus wanted to. Victor sighed and tried to think. He had yet to do a lot of the things that he knew that he should, but his mind was running rampant as November continued to move onwards. He, like many of the other students, had watched the werewolf clan take to living along the edge of the lake. Neither the students nor the werewolves made any attempt to get closer to each other. The werewolves stayed in their village and the students stayed far away. It was enough to drive anyone insane. Victor suspected that there was more to it than he had originally thought there was. Yet, he knew that something was up at the very least.

Victor sighed and stood up. He knew that he wouldn't get his schoolwork done at the rate that he was going. Luckily, he had the weekend to work on it, yet the light snow that had already started to cover the grounds of Hogwarts caught his attention more. He hadn't seen snow that was so pure as it stuck to the grass without a single bit of greyish grit before. He could remember winters in London. They weren't like what he saw at the castle. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts away. He didn't want to think about his past. It was something that he often tried to ignore. It wasn't the pleasant business that he would have wanted. In fact, he was somewhat envious of those that had grown up with both their biological families and proper homes. He wouldn't have traded Jessie for anything, but he would have liked to not have the realities of life that he did. Victor thought that it was odd to envy someone that lived a sheltered life, but that didn't change that he did.

He left the room that he was in and made his way out to the grounds. Students were already throwing snowballs at each other. Most of them would have waited until the weekend, but the teachers were trying to cram just enough in that the students were working to relieve stress before dinner. It was a nice period where they weren't thinking about food, school, or curfew. Victor watched some of them play and shook his head. He then looked at the werewolves that were milling around their little huts that had been put up around the shores of the lake, though the buildings were far enough from the water to keep them from being flooded when the tide came in. He continued to stare out at them. There were a few young children that were playing and laughing. They didn't take any notice of the students that were doing the same thing. They seemed to be perfectly content to play with each other. Victor had a sad smile cross his face at that image. He hadn't seen something like that for most of his life. He shook his head and began to walk over. There had been no rules that stated that the students couldn't go over to the werewolf village. This meant that he wasn't breaking any rules. In fact, the only rule that had been set in place was that they weren't allowed to leave the school on the full moon. The teachers made sure of this by locking the school up before dark. Apparently, the werewolves were planning to spend most of the full moon in the forest, but precautions were still necessary.

Victor carefully walked up to the buildings. He looked at them. He could see that they were simple, but much nicer than some of the ones that he had seen in London. He looked around. He could see that there were some people staring at him. He swallowed a bit compulsively at the looks. He then began to wonder if they would ever stop staring at him. That thought was enough to make him nervous. Yet, he wasn't going to run away. That was something that he generally avoided doing. A hand came to rest upon his shoulder.

He quickly spun around and came face to face with a man. The man was thin, but his eyes were what drew Victor's attention. The man's eyes were a mixture of gold and blue, which was a strange pattern that Victor hadn't seen anywhere before. He thought even Remus' amber eyes were more normal than those of the man's that stood in front of him. He then noticed that the man's hair was so long that it was almost to his elbows. If Victor hadn't been paying attention, he would have thought that the man was a girl. The man raised an eyebrow at Victor. "I didn't think that we would see any of the students here. After all, you're all taught to run away from werewolves."

Victor shook his head. "I dun run. I live with a werewolf." He was proud of how he had sounded when he had said those words. There was so much that he would stumble over, yet it was nice to be able to keep his voice steady and speak at a normal pace. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. He waited for the man to say something to him.

The man shook his head. "Well, it's nice to see a young one that doesn't run screaming. Yet, I guess that it makes sense. However, I wouldn't be here." The man stopped there. It seemed as if he wasn't going to grant some kind of explanation as to why he was saying such a thing. Victor frowned and wondered why he would say that. The man then lightly pushed him towards the other students. "You need to do what you can to not draw attention to yourself, young man. I think that your father would dislike that." Victor blinked at him. He wondered why the man had said the last bit. The man then laughed. "Ah, you're so amusing. You look just like the potions master that we've seen around here. Now go." He then turned and headed towards the centre of the village.

Victor shook his head and began to walk away. It was as if there was something happening around him. He didn't know what it was, but there seemed to be someone new that wanted to protect him. He couldn't figure out what it was, but it drove him a little crazy. He sighed and made his way towards the school once more. He knew that he could either do his schoolwork or try to get Remus to talk to him. Whatever it was that was happening, he couldn't take care of right then. Yet, he knew that more was going to happen. It was a feeling that he had. He just hoped that it wouldn't interrupt everything else that he was doing. After all, he had a lot of things to figure out, and figure them out he would.

A/N: And here we go, the werewolves are playing a larger part. The mystery that Victor's being dragged into is growing. Hope you all enjoyed. Later.


	27. Chapter 26

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 26_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words __per __Chapter:_ 874_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 26

Victor closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the students talking throughout dinner. As before, he kept thinking that something was up. There was this strong sense that there was a mystery sitting over his head. He wanted to check it out, but he had noticed that Severus' eyes had been watching him ever since he had visited the werewolf village. He was pretty sure that the man's staring wasn't because of that, though he had no idea why he was. The only thing he could figure out was that the man was thinking of something. However, it appeared as if whatever it was that he was thinking about was more prominent in that moment. The man had been working hard to keep his eyes focused upon the young Ravenclaw.

Dinner was finally dismissed and the students stood up to leave the Great Hall. Victor was ready to leave and enjoy a quiet night hiding in his dorm. He hadn't been doing his homework and had to catch up on it. His curiosity over what was happening with the werewolves and this other thing had distracted him from what he knew he should have been doing. This meant that he had ended up with only one day left before his potions essay was due. That was not a pleasant thought. However, he hadn't managed to take more than a step out of the Great Hall before someone grabbed him by the wrist and dragged into another room of the castle. Victor's posture was stiff as he got ready to bite whoever it was that had grabbed him. As soon as the door was closed, he was forced to face the person that had brought him there. The person that had grabbed him was Severus. Victor stared up at him with wide eyes.

Severus towered over the short child before bending over and getting in Victor's face. The look that Severus gave the young man was one that made Victor feel as if he was under a microscope. Severus then grabbed Victor's bangs and moved them out of the way. There was something about what the man was doing that caused Victor to wonder what the man was looking for. In fact, it made him kind of desperate to know what it was. The only problem was that whatever the man wanted to see, it would be difficult to find. The truth was, Victor had gotten into an accident that had left his forehead covered in scars at the age of four. He had ended up with a fever from incident. Yet, the one thing that the child had had before the accident had been lost to the lines that covered his forehead. He tried to get away from Severus, but the man wrapped his hand around one of Victor's arms. This caused Victor to remain still and allow Severus to continue scanning the boy's forehead.

The man dropped Victor's bangs suddenly. "What happened? It's almost as if there's something there that I want to see, but it's hidden. I thought that it might explain something that I had thought of." He scowled darkly and let Victor go. The young man frowned at him. It was odd, but he kind of wondered if this all had something to do with the headmaster. He had noticed that the headmaster acted as if he knew something about Victor that nobody else did. Whatever it was, it caused Victor to feel a little nervous at the thought of Severus agreeing with the senile man.

Victor's mind began to wander onto the werewolves. He thought that maybe Severus had thought that they had something to do with his scars. He set his hand on his bangs and smoothed them out. "I got 'em…THEM when I was four. I got into an accident. There was a burnin' building and explodin' glass." He stopped there. He didn't want to relive the memories of that particular day. It wasn't a pleasant one for him. He glanced at Severus again. He hoped that the man wasn't going to make him relive the incident. Severus frowned and seemed lost in thought. There was something that was on the man's mind. It seemed as if he had come to some sort of conclusion that Victor was scared of.

Severus seemed to continue with some thought in his mind and once again pulled Victor's bangs back. "I will find out who you are." He then turned and swept out of the room. Victor stood there for several moments before remembering that he was supposed to be in his dorm. He knew that he had to get back before curfew. He rushed out and ran to Ravenclaw tower. There was something about the encounter with Severus that worried him. He didn't know what it was, but it left him feeling a little disconcerted. It seemed as he was being buried under a pile of mysteries. He had always wondered who his parents were, but it seemed that the man that was supposed to be his father had his own conclusions that went past just his parentage. Victor hoped that those conclusions wouldn't ruin things any more than they already had. He really did hope that.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. People were wondering if Severus would realize and this chapter was to show that he suspects something. Hope that you enjoy. Later.


	28. Chapter 27

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 27_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 977_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 27

Victor frowned as he shoved the letter that Remus had finally sent to him back into his bag. There were a lot of thoughts on his mind, but he didn't want anyone to see what Remus had written to him. The man had told him to be careful around the other werewolves. This made it seem as if he believed that there might be some kind of danger from them. Of course, the man had also said that it was best if he didn't go near them at all. That part confused Victor, though he had sort of pushed the thoughts regarding their arrival into the back of his mind. Of course, that letter had brought it into the front of his mind once more. He shook his head in an attempt to get the idea out of his mind.

Someone touched him on the shoulder. He spun around and looked at the person. His eyes were wide from being startled. The person happened to be Neville. He held his hands up to show Victor that he wasn't a danger. Victor shook his head in an attempt to help calm his speeding heart down. Neville frowned. "Uhm…Are you okay?" Victor nodded in response. He really hadn't expected to be startled like that. It was something that he hadn't enjoyed. Neville nodded as well. Yet, he was frowning at the thoughts that ran through his mind. However, Neville knew that it was rude to push the boy for answers to those thoughts. His grandmother had drilled proper manners into him. That fact was the only reason that he didn't ask the questions that he wanted to.

Victor looked at Neville, but didn't get a chance to speak. A hand came to rest upon his shoulder and started to lead him off before that could happen. Victor recognized the hand that was leading him and let it do so. He knew that it was Severus' hands. He was shoved into a room once again. He looked around and saw that it was Severus' office. He had just come out of potions, though he hadn't realized that the man had wanted to talk. Victor swallowed as he looked at the man. There was something on the man's face that worried him. Severus pulled a vial out of one of the drawers in his desk and held it out. "Drink it and then poke yourself with this knife." He gestured to the knife that was on his desk. Victor frowned. He wondered what it was that had caused the man to want such a thing. Of course, he also didn't particularly like the idea of disobeying him. In fact, the thought downright scared him.

Victor looked at him. "What…Are yeh…You lookin' for?" He knew that he should have tried to correct the looking part, but he felt as if it was pointless to do so. He stared at Severus and saw that the man wasn't saying anything. He then sighed and took the vial from Severus. It had become obvious that Severus was waiting for whatever it was that the potion would do. It seemed as if the potions master did have quite the love for not answering the questions that he had been asked. It annoyed Victor. After several moments of contemplating what could be going on, he swallowed the potion. A shudder escaped his body at the vile taste that was left in his mouth.

Severus gestured to the knife once more. Victor sighed and took it. He noticed that it was a shiny knife that looked like it had been recently cleaned. He took the tip of the knife and poked his finger with it. Blood didn't take long to well up in the area that he had poked. He stared at it with a sort of fascination. There were times where he couldn't help staring at the red blood. Sometimes he hated looking at it, yet there were other times where he loved it. This was one of those moments where he loved staring at the blood that was welling up in the injury. Severus suddenly grabbed Victor's wrist. He dragged it over to the parchment on his desk and squeezed a drop out of the wound. He then cast a healing charm on it. Victor took his wrist back.

Wondering what would appear on the surface of the sheet, Victor stared at the parchment. He then looked at Severus. The man's eyebrows were furrowed together. His eyes were focused intently on the sheet that lay on his desk. Victor wanted to know just what was going on. It was crazy just how badly he wanted to know. He opened his mouth to speak, but the man held his hand up. Victor closed his mouth. He knew when it was best to keep his words to himself. It wasn't something that he always did, but he had learned when to do so during all of the harsh years in his life. Severus then backed away from the parchment. His face had turned so white that the man looked as if he was about to die. Victor frowned and looked down at the sheet. He had to know what was on it. On the piece of parchment was Victor's name. It was written as Victor Vauxhall, which was fine by him, but above his name were those of Severus Snape and Lily Potter. He looked at Severus. Severus looked at him. "No…It can't be…Harry Potter?" Victor stared at him. He didn't know who that was, but he recalled the name from his sorting. Yet, whatever it was about that name, it obviously scared Severus Snape. Victor was sure that he didn't like that. Anything that scared the man sent Victor on alert. He would just have to wait to see what was said, and that was no joke.

A/N: Yes, I know, cliff-hanger. But Severus now knows, so, what's next? You all will have to wait and see. Hope that you enjoyed. Later.


	29. Chapter 28

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 28_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 829_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 28

Victor finally snapped out of his rather confused state and decided that he needed to clear a few things up. The fact that Severus was calling him Harry Potter was enough to annoy him. Of course, the truth was that he was more annoyed at hearing someone call him by another person's name with the conviction of 'I can't believe it' more than anything else. He wanted to make it clear that there was absolutely no way that he could be this Harry Potter person. The biggest part of his conviction was that he knew where he had come from. In fact, Severus' declaration had brought those thoughts to the forefront of his mind. This meant that he had to question more things than he had tried to think about. The fact was that Victor had done everything that he could to not think about the questions that had wanted to come out the moment that Severus had been revealed as his father.

He looked right at Severus and decided that he was going to give into the urge that he had fought with over and over again. "I dun know who yeh talkin' about. Meh name is Victor." He stopped there. The man was now looking at him. Victor was going to ask the questions that he needed to. "Yeh say yeh are meh father. Well, where were yeh? Mum abandoned meh in an alley when I was a baby. I got lucky. Jesse found meh and took care of meh. Yeh were nuh there. If yeh meh father, how did yeh not know?" He knew that he had started to slip into his old speech patterns while using certain words, but he was more focused on asking the questions that were on his mind. After all, they were the kind of questions that many people would have said something about. Victor's only thing was that he didn't generally voice them. He wouldn't have this time either. However, this situation was one where he had to. He knew that it was the only way for him to get some answers.

Severus stared at the boy. He wasn't sure whether to be angry or proud of the boy's sudden confidence. He had noticed that the boy wasn't exactly as confident in asking questions like a normal Ravenclaw, though that wasn't a problem. Yet, he was proud of the boy's quiet attitude towards working and doing what he should. He cleared his throat. He knew that he needed to say something to answer the boy's questions. "Mr. Vauxhall, these potions do not lie. I knew your mother. I grew up with her. She didn't abandon you. She died. Lily Potter died protecting you. She only had one child. That child was a boy named Harry Potter. It appears as if you're him. Whoever it was that abandoned you did something very wrong. I would have taken you in and raised you if I had known that I was your father. However, I didn't know because she never told me. I thought that you were the child of her husband." Victor stared at him. He didn't want to believe the man. However, he had picked up on the man's tone. Severus had such conviction in his voice that Victor had to believe in what he had said.

Victor stared at him and opened his mouth to say something, but a knock interrupted him. Severus quickly hid the sheet of paper. It was apparent that he didn't want anyone to know what was discovered. The door opened right after he had shut the desk drawer. In walked Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin. Severus scowled at the werewolf that had been making a habit of coming to the school. Dumbledore smiled at the two. "Ah, you're both here. That's good. I had been looking for Mr. Vauxhall, but the Ravenclaws had said that he hadn't returned to his dorm. I was worried that he had gone off somewhere or been caught by one of our guests."

Remus walked towards Victor. Victor stepped away. He was still unsure after the letter that Remus had written to him. He knew that he didn't understand everything in regards to the Wizarding world, but even he could believe in the inherent good in people. Remus sighed. "Look, Victor, we need to talk. All four of us need to talk. Dumbledore wants all of us up in his office. I ran into him while looking for you. Can we go?" Victor looked at him and nodded. He then looked at Severus. The man was scowling, though he did nod his head towards the headmaster. Whatever it was that was going on, neither Severus nor Victor expected any good to come from it. The group left the office and headed towards the headmaster's office. Severus and Victor knew that they wouldn't like what was going to be said. They could feel it. They just had to get through it.

A/N: Well, here we go. I hope that you enjoy this. Hm…What could Dumbledore want? Later.


	30. Chapter 29

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 29_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,222_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 29

The group walked in silence towards the headmaster's office. Severus spent the time thinking hard on what the man could want. Plus, there was also the fact that he still thought over what Victor had said. He was frowning at the thought of what could have happened. The boy didn't know who he had been and had said that he had been abandoned. Needless to say, he was thinking of many things that left him confused. That confusion led him to acting a bit aloof as they took the stairs up to the headmaster's office.

Victor, on the other hand, was worried. After what had happened with Severus, he wasn't sure what was going to happen next. He had a bad feeling about what the headmaster could want. He looked up as they got to the headmaster's office. A hand was placed upon his shoulder. He jumped and spun around. It had been Remus that had touched his shoulder. He stared up at the man. He didn't know why, but there was something about the man that left him feeling a bit unnerved right then. That was quite disconcerting for Victor. After all, he did trust the man, but that feeling was there. Victor swallowed and turned towards Dumbledore. He had to know what the man wanted to talk about.

Dumbledore gestured for everyone to sit down. Victor didn't want to, but a look from Severus got him to do so. He sat in the plush chair rather stiffly. He didn't want to relax when all his muscles were ready to spring at the slightest sign of danger. Dumbledore gave them all a genial smile. Victor and Severus didn't trust the look at all. Dumbledore's eyes fell onto Victor. "Mr. Vauxhall, I was wondering how it was that you had ended up on the street. It was something that didn't come up. Also, Remus told me that your friend, Jessie, raised you." Victor sat up straighter. He had no idea why the headmaster would take such an interest in him. As far as he knew, the man wouldn't do such a thing. Arianna had said that the man barely noticed the students.

Victor looked down at his hands. He had decided that he was going to go with what he had always believed and had told Severus. He wasn't sure if he believed that his mother did love him, but he was willing to give Severus the benefit of the doubt for the time being. He let out a slow breath. "I was abandoned by meh mum. She left meh in an alley. Jessie was the one that found meh." He then stopped there. He was feeling as if he was under some kind of scrutiny. He did hope that the man wouldn't comment on what he had said. He glanced up and saw that the man was still watching him. He looked down at his hands again. He had learned just when he needed to act like a meek child. This was one of those moments where he had to play it up. He didn't think that there was a reason to trust an old man that was pushing for more information than was probably necessary. At least that's what Victor believed at any rate.

Remus frowned. He had come to talk to Victor about Jessie. He didn't know what it was that Dumbledore was doing. Yet, he didn't like it. He sat up straighter. "Headmaster, I need to tell Victor why I came." The man nodded. Victor looked at Remus. Remus turned towards him and looked at his young charge. "I came to tell you that Jessie's sick. I've taken her to the hospital, but they don't know what's wrong with her right now." Victor's eyes widened. He looked as if he wanted to run to the girl's side. Severus set a hand on Victor's shoulder and kept him in his chair. Remus seemed to sense what Victor wanted to do and cleared his throat. "I don't know how it happened when she seemed fine, but she'll get better. I promise you that." Victor nodded. He still wanted to go to her, but he knew that nobody would let him.

Severus looked between the two and got an idea in his head. As much as he wanted to explore what he had discovered, he got the feeling that the headmaster was up to something. That meant that he knew that he couldn't let Victor be subjected to whatever it was that the headmaster wanted. He looked at Dumbledore. "I believe that it would be best if he gets to visit with her for a couple of days. I'll have one of the other students take notes for him and talk with the teachers and his head of house, headmaster. This is the woman that raised him. It's best if he can visit her and make sure that she's okay. He's not likely to listen to what we say about her condition. He needs to see her for himself." Victor stared at him with wide eyes. He wondered what Severus was doing, but he knew that the man was right. He wouldn't have wanted to listen to them.

Dumbledore looked between the two older men. Remus was concerned for Victor. Severus was shielding his mind, which meant that the older man wouldn't find out anything from the former spy. He sighed and looked at them. "Well, I guess it's all right. We do allow other students to go home if one of their parents is very sick. This woman is essentially Mr. Vauxhall's mother." The other two nodded. He then waved a hand. "I would like to see him when he returns, but it's best to get him ready to head home for a couple of days. Make sure that you get everything done, Severus." The three left the room.

Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, Remus looked at Severus. "What was all that about?" Victor nodded in agreement. Severus' behaviour was very confusing for the eleven-year-old. Severus cleared his throat, but didn't respond. Remus stared at the head of Slytherin and then nodded. "Right, I'll leave you to bring Victor over." He then walked off. Victor stared at Remus. He then looked at Severus. The man had started walking.

Victor went to follow him. Severus walked into a classroom. Victor frowned and followed him in. Severus warded the room and looked at the younger child. "Look, there's something up with the headmaster. I suspect that he knows who you were. I'm going to do some checking while you're out of the castle. That's why I'm doing this. The woman did raise you and you're allowed to see her. I just want to look into what that man is up to. Do you think that you can deal with that?" Victor just nodded. He very confused about what was going on. Severus nodded as well. "Then you need to go pack a bag and meet me in the entrance hall in an hour." He released the spells and walked off. Victor stood there for a moment before following as well. He wasn't sure what was going on, but at least he was getting away for a bit. That's what he need, and he was glad to get it.

A/N: Well, I hope that you like this. Hm…Seems like Dumbledore suspects something. Hope that you all enjoyed. Later.


	31. Chapter 30

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 30_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,312_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 30

Severus met Victor in the Entrance Hall an hour later. He took the boy by the shoulder and began to lead him off. He knew that it might seem abrupt, but he wanted to get Victor out of the school. He knew that he was using it as an excuse. He needed time to think about more than just Dumbledore's interest in the boy. Yet, he found that he was quite glad that the werewolf had afforded him such time. He mentally shuddered at the thought that Remus had given him an out. It wasn't right in any sense. He glanced over at the werewolves that were living in their little village by the lake. They seemed to glance in their direction as well, but they didn't bother to pay any real attention to the duo.

Severus walked Victor down to the gates and pulled the boy close. Victor stood up straighter and almost yelped as he suddenly felt the sensation of being squeezed through a tube race throughout his body. They didn't take long to appear in their new destination, which happened to be the alley by Remus' home. Victor shook his head and proceeded to hunch over and vomit. Severus stepped back to avoid being vomited on. He got lucky and did avoid it. Victor groaned and stood up after wiping his face off on his sleeve. Severus made a disgusted noise. He cast a spell that cleaned Victor up. He then banished the vomit. He led Victor out of the alley. Victor looked at him. "Wha' was that yeh did?"

Severus looked at him. "That was apparition." He then walked to Remus' front door and rang the doorbell. He waited for Remus to answer the door. It didn't take long for the man to do so. Severus looked at Remus. "I brought the boy. Take care of him." He then turned around and returned to the alley in order to leave. Victor stared after the man and then looked at Remus. Remus gestured him inside. Victor came in and set the bag that he had packed down.

Remus nodded. "We'll be going to the hospital directly." Victor nodded as Remus closed the front door. He was glad that they would be going quickly. He wanted to see Jessie as fast as he could. Remus set a hand on him and apparated. Victor didn't like that yet again. He wanted to take a car like a normal person. He didn't vomit when the squeezed sensation left, but he was hunched over to catch his breath. He let out a slow breath and stood up after a few moments. It seemed that everyone was being rather abrupt about getting wherever they wanted to with him. He kind of wished that they would be a bit nicer and not do what they had without warning him first.

Victor made a noise. "Can yeh not do that next time?" He looked at Remus after asking that particular question. Remus gave him a smile and nodded. He then led him into the hospital and went straight to the floor that they needed. He was lucky that Remus already knew where Jessie had been sent. It made things a lot easier. Victor followed him.

Remus looked at him. "Now, understand that she's still sick." Victor nodded and went to the room that Remus had led him to. It had been a quiet walk for the duo, but that was normal. Remus opened the door and gestured for Victor to go in. He knew that the boy would be best to go in alone. Victor let out a slow breath and stepped into the room. He saw Jessie lying on the bed with her eyes closed. She looked so peaceful that he was worried about her. He walked over. His shoes clicked on the tile floor.

Victor let out a sigh. "Jessie…" She opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. She smiled at him and shifted over on the hospital bed. Victor knew what that meant and climbed onto the bed. He sat next to her and looked over her. She looked so small in the bed, though she wasn't small like Victor. He stared some more. "Are yeh okay?" He knew what she was likely to say, but that didn't mean that he couldn't ask anyways.

Jessie smiled at him. "I'm going to be fine, Victor. Why are you here, aren't you supposed to be at school? I know that Remus said he was going to tell you. I kind of wanted him to not tell you. I didn't want you distracted. You've finally got your own chance at a real life. You don't have to face all that I've had to." He looked at her. He knew that she hadn't always been on the streets. She had confided that in him many years earlier. The thing was that she had run away when she was twelve. It meant that she sometimes didn't remember what it was like to be a normal person.

Victor looked down. He wasn't sure if he should say anything. He looked at his hands and sighed. "I needed teh see yeh. I needed teh know that yeh were okay. I had teh see that with meh own eyes." Jessie reached out and touched Victor's hand. She could understand how he needed to do that. The boy was attached to her. She was glad about that. It was like having her own child.

She knew the likelihood of ever having one of her own was practically non-existent. She was fine with having only Victor. She had raised him after all. "Why don't you tell me about your school? Hearing about that would help me get better."

Victor knew that she was saying that to get the topic off of her. He had seen her sick in the past. She had never gone to a hospital for it. In fact, he knew the reason that she was sick, even if the doctor's didn't, yet. He looked at her. "Are yeh goin' to tell them why yeh sick? I know what the reason is, even if the doctor's don't." Jessie gave him a look. She knew what it was as well. It had been a part of the reason that she had run away from home.

Jessie sighed. She realized that Victor wasn't going to give in. "I did tell them after Remus had left. I didn't want him hearing it. You know as well as I do that people can run when they hear such things. I've gotten lucky. It hadn't come back before now. Being as sick as I once was and now are two separate things." Victor nodded. She rubbed her eyes. "Victor, promise me that you'll continue to do well in school and be a good person. I don't want you giving up everything if it is bad this time. That's partly why I agreed to go with him. I saw that this was an opportunity that you wouldn't normally have. Even if it's in some weird world that I don't completely get." She gave Victor a look. She knew what she was doing, even if others would have thought that she was agreeing too fast.

Victor sighed and looked down. He knew that Jessie did a lot of things that were to help him. It didn't make things easier. "Promise. I just want yeh to be as healthy as I am." He then hugged her. Jessie hugged back and smiled. Victor then pulled back. "However, don't go. I need yeh anyways. I keep having stuff happen and I need yeh. Yeh are my stability." Jessie smiled. She knew that she needed to be around for him on some level. She nodded and hugged him again. She would be around for as long as she could be.

A/N: Well, there we go. Hope that you liked it. We got a tender moment with Jessie and Victor, and some of Jessie's motives were revealed. Later.


	32. Chapter 31

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 31_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,994_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 31

It had taken Remus some work, but he had managed to get Victor back to the flat. He knew that the boy would be there for a couple of days. He only hoped that nothing would happen to the girl that Victor was attached to. Remus knew that something big was up, though he didn't know what it was. He watched as Victor went to the couch and sat down. The boy pulled his legs up to his chest and stared into space. Remus sighed as he watched this behaviour. He had seen it in the past. Yet, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do this time around. He knew that the tactics that he had used before wouldn't work with Victor.

He walked into the kitchen and set about making some hot chocolate. That was the only thing that he could think of. He knew that Victor hadn't had a chance to try his hot chocolate before. This was mainly because it had been the summer and Remus didn't think that a warm drink like that would be a good thing. Then again, he did have warm tea in the summer. He shrugged as those thoughts went through his mind. He continued to make the drinks. He heard a noise and looked over his shoulder. He didn't see anyone, but he walked to the sitting room. Victor had his face buried in his legs. He made a noise and Remus frowned.

He then turned around at another noise that he had heard. He knew that noise was the one that came from the kettle that he was using to heat up the water for the hot chocolate. He got out two mugs and poured the liquid into them before mixing the chocolate mixture. He picked up the warm cups and let out a slow breath. He made his way out to the sitting room. Victor had yet to move from the position that Remus had last seen him in. He set one mug down in front of Victor and held the other as he sat next to the young boy. Remus was trying to figure out how to talk to the boy.

Victor made a noise and looked up. He was staring straight ahead. He then turned his head towards Remus. He uncurled and looked at the hot chocolate that was in front of him. He could remember seeing people order it. Yet, he had never been able to taste it thanks to living on the streets. It was an expense most places that they could go to had never considered. He reached out and picked up the warm cup with both hands. He let the warmth spread from the cup onto his hands. His hands weren't cold. It was just a way to focus on something other than what he had to.

Remus was still watching Victor. He had decided that it was best to let the boy talk when he was ready to. He had seen the boy hesitantly take the cup of chocolate and hold it. Remus sipped his own hot chocolate and set it down on a coaster that happened to be there. He didn't often use the coasters, but that was because he could spell the messes away. Plus, it had been pointless during one point in his life. He kept his eyes focused on the young boy. He was beginning to wonder if he should have gotten someone else to do this. He was used to being the one to help people. Victor was different than most people. It made things more complicated. He didn't act like the street kids that Remus had helped in the past. He thought that was due to Jessie.

Victor finally let out a sigh and looked at Remus. Remus looked back. Victor stared at him. "Jessie's always been sick. She did get better for a while, but…" He stopped there. He had been talking slowly and working to enunciate his words. He wanted to sound like someone that wasn't from the streets. He shook his head. "She dun want meh to say what it is. I need teh tell someone." He looked at Remus. He knew that he should elaborate. "Jessie had some…Something called cancer. She got treated fer it when she lived in her home…" He looked back at the cup of hot chocolate.

Remus reached out to touch Victor's shoulder, but he stopped himself and picked up his hot chocolate instead. "Is there something else that's wrong?" He knew that it was likely worse then that. Untreated cancer in the Muggle world wasn't a good thing to let happen. He kind of wondered how she had survived for so long.

Victor bit his lip and nodded. "She did get better when living at home. Yet, it was all stopped when her step-da did something to her." Jessie had never told him what that was. All he knew was that the man had done something that caused Jessie to leave. She had run away and never returned. She had disappeared from her family's life so fast that there was still a missing person's report out there for her. Her mother had filed it. Jessie had been lucky that nobody had found her. It was also a part of the reason that she had avoided hospitals. She had once heard that they would do a test on her that would cause her family to find her.

Remus sighed. "Well, whatever else is wrong, I'm sure that she'll get better. The doctors didn't seem that worried when I talked to them a little bit ago. They said that they were surprised that she was doing so well." He looked at Victor. He wanted to comfort him. Victor nodded and looked at Remus again. He seemed to stare right through the man.

Victor set the hot chocolate down and stood up. A meow at his feet got his attention. He looked down and saw Willow. He had been working and taking care of her, but she often slipped his mind. She had been going off on her own at Hogwarts like so many of the other cats did. In fact, it was for that reason that he had left her there when he had come back to Remus' flat. It seemed as if someone had found his cat and brought her to the flat while they were gone. He picked his cat up and held her. Victor shook his head. "I need teh be on meh own for a bit." He then walked off. The truth was that his mind was on the day that Jessie had told him about her illness.

_Flashback_

Victor was sitting next to Jessie as they were in one of the homeless shelters for the night. Jessie was working to get some money so that they could stay in a boarding house for a few days. She knew a few that let you stay for a good number of days. Of course, that was only if you paid every single day. She was coughing. He sat there silently. He was only four years old, but he was quite aware of how hard life could be. At least they had places that they could stay for free now and then. Plus, they knew of some places that they could get a hot meal once a day. Jessie just didn't want to always rely on that. She had a pathological fear of places like shelters and soup kitchens.

She stopped coughing and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Victor. Yeh deserve better." Victor shook his head and hugged her. She smiled and hugged him back. "What I have to tell yeh is important. Listen, okay?" He nodded. He was going to listen to whatever it was that she was going to tell him. He knew that he should listen when she said that it was important. He also knew that he had to make sure that he took whatever she said to heart. Jessie kept an arm around his shoulders. "Victor, yeh should know that I didn't always live on the streets. I ran away when I was twelve. I came from a town north of there. I had packed meh stuff and stolen a whole lot of money from meh mum and step-da. I took trains and came here. I then proceeded to do what I needed teh survive. It was then that I met the guy yeh knew as meh boyfriend. He helped meh to survive. He also showed meh how to blend in."

She stopped and watched as Victor processed what she had said. She knew that she needed to give him time to process what she was saying. Victor looked at her. "Yeh were in a home? Wha' caused yeh teh run away?" She kissed the top of his head and hugged him. Jessie was staring straight ahead. She wasn't sure what to say to Victor. She knew that she had to explain it. Yet, explaining it to a four-year-old wasn't easy.

She let out a slow breath. "Well…Yeh have teh understand tha' meh life wasn't good. I had gotten cancer. It is a bad illness that can kill yeh. I was put through the treatments fer it. It wasn't pleasant. Yet, it was worse when meh step-da decided that I was worth more teh him alive. I dun want teh tell yeh what it was. Yet, he did something when I had gotten through the cancer." She looked at Victor. He didn't seem to like that answer, but he nodded anyways. Jessie hugged him again. "I tell yeh this because he caused me great pain. And I know that it set back meh recovery. The runnin' away didn't help it. My immune system, that's what keeps us healthy, never fully recovered. I will continue teh get sick easily. One day, the cancer will come back, if it hasn't already. I want yeh to promise meh that yeh will do whatever yeh have to do in order to have a good life if that happens."

Victor nodded. The tone in Jessie's voice was so sincere that it was impossible to say that he couldn't. "I will, Jessie. I promise. Yeh stay wit' meh." She smiled and hugged him. She knew that there was likely something else wrong, but she only knew the part that had happened. She had been told that her immune system would eventually recover. Yet, she had a feeling that it never had. She had run away and ended up in the elements while still recovering. She was very certain that helped to make it worse.

She started to rock Victor. "I'll do meh best. That's all I can promise." Victor nodded and held onto Jessie. He didn't like that was being told something that most people wouldn't want to tell a four-year-old. He would have to face whatever it was some day. Yet, he hoped that he would never have to.

_End Flashback_

Victor sat on his bed and set Willow next to him. He was petting the cat's head as he snapped out of his memory. He knew that there was more to what had happened than Jessie had told him. He knew that a lot of bad things happened to people. He had heard stories that made him assume something like that had happened to her. Yet, he wasn't sure. He couldn't know unless Jessie told him. What he did know as that her cancer had likely returned. The only problem was that he was scared for her. He didn't want to lose Jessie. Victor laid on his bed and Willow climbed onto his chest. The cat curled up and he touched her head. Victor closed his eyes and tried to banish all thoughts away. He would do what Jessie wanted him to. He would try to live his life. He just prayed that she would stay with him.

A/N: Well, here we go. Hm…Some answers to Jessie's past. Hope that you all enjoyed. Later.


	33. Chapter 32

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 32_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,542_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 32

Victor was once again staring at the wall of the room that Jesse was in. He was sitting with Remus. Jesse had been taken out of the room to get some tests done. He didn't know what kind of tests, but he was hoping that it wouldn't be something that they had tried to avoid. He held his knees. Remus was sitting next to Victor. The room was quiet. There were no beeping machines right then. Those machines had gone with Jesse. Victor looked down at the cream-coloured tiles of the floor. It wasn't the most inviting room that he had seen.

Remus touched Victor's shoulder. He knew that the boy was worrying about something. Truthfully, Remus was beginning to think that the boy would open up if a certain potions master was there. He had noticed that they seemed to be closer than he would have thought possible. Yet, he pushed those thoughts aside. He closed his eyes and kept his hand on the pre-teen's shoulder. Victor turned his head towards Remus and stared at the man. "Do yeh know what kind of tests they doing?" He shifted a bit and kept his arms wrapped around his legs. He wanted to know what they were doing to Jesse.

Remus opened his eyes. He had been waiting for the boy to say something. The fact that the boy was asking about the tests was an improvement in Remus' mind. He shrugged. "They took her to make sure that her cancer hasn't returned. They're not sure what's wrong with her. She's sick, but it seems to be something that they don't know about." Victor nodded. He liked that it was something other than what he had thought it could be. Remus gave him a smile.

Victor watched Remus. The door to the room opened and both men turned their heads. They looked at the nurse that was wheeling Jesse into the room. The nurse had a frown on her face. Jesse was scowling. The scowl wasn't a look that Victor had often seen. He knew that her old boyfriend could bring such a look to her face, but this was different. Remus frowned as well. He kind of wondered what it was that had brought a scowl to Jesse's face. He had never seen her do something like that. It wasn't something that he had ever thought that he would see from the woman.

Another woman came in a moment later. The nurse's back went ramrod straight. Jesse's scowl got even darker. The woman that was there was dressed rather nicely. She looked a bit like Jesse, though it was obvious that she hadn't had Jesse's life. She was slightly plump with hair so heavily curled that it didn't look right on her. She had a lot of make up on as well. She also wore a dress that looked to be a size too small. Both Remus and Victor stared at the woman. They couldn't even figure out what they were supposed to be looking at. The woman had a scowl on her face that was so deep that they wanted to get away from it. She then looked at the two. Her scowl seemed to soften a bit at the sight of Victor. Yet, her eyes narrowed into a glare as she looked at Remus. Remus was wondering what he had done to anger her.

The nurse cleared her throat. "Ma'am, Ms. Lupin made it clear that she would like to be left alone. She didn't want you anywhere near her." She didn't like saying that, but she had to protect her patient's wishes. The woman looked at the nurse and her scowl deepened once again. Victor wasn't sure how the woman's face hadn't gotten stuck that way. It kind of made him wonder why she was there at all. This woman was someone that he didn't know, though he could see that she was similar to Jesse.

The woman cleared her throat. "Excuse me, this is my daughter. I come here with my husband and I see her here. I should have been informed. Her name isn't Lupin. It's Jessica Felicity Jamison. She's MY DAUGHTER. You can't tell me what to do. I've come to take her out of here." She was glaring so hard at the nurse that it was a miracle that she could see. Jesse, on the other hand, seemed to get angrier with every word that was coming out of the woman's mouth. Her hands were clenched and the beeping of the heart monitor was getting faster as her heart sped up because her anger.

Jesse let out a slow breath and tried to get herself under control. She knew that she couldn't let herself speak in an angry tone. She had taught Victor that getting angry wasn't always the best way to get what you wanted. It took her a bit, but she seemed to finally get herself under control. She looked at the woman. "You're not my mother. If you were my mother, you might have actually watched me. Yes, you cared for a while and did care enough to try and find me, but you're not my mother. I'm an adult! I can do things without you now. My name is Lupin because that's my husband's name." Both Victor and Remus blinked at that statement. Remus knew that Jesse had asked to use his last name for reasons that he didn't know, but this was not what he had expected. He stared at her. She was looking at him.

Remus watched her for a bit longer before processing what she was doing. He knew that he didn't like the woman anymore than Jesse seemed to. He cleared his throat. While he wasn't completely sure why she was pulling him in, he was going to do what he could to get rid of the woman that was there. He stood up. "Mrs. Jamison, I would appreciate it if you left. You're causing unnecessary stress. The hospital staff has already asked you to leave."

The woman looked at Remus. Her eyes seemed to analyze him. She didn't seem to like what she saw, though it was mostly the scowl that seemed to say that. "You married that…What have you done girl? You're going to come home with me now." She seemed to have determined that she was going to pull Jesse out of bed and out of the hospital.

It was then that a doctor came in. He was wondering what the commotion was about. While Jesse wasn't his patient, he didn't like all of the loud noises that were coming from a sick patient's room. He had heard a good chunk of the conversation. "Ma'am, I understand that you haven't seen your daughter in a long time. However, she's in capable hands. Her husband has been here and I would kindly ask you to leave. If you don't, I will call security." He was watching the woman in front of him. He seemed to dislike what he was seeing as well. He knew that he could need to defuse the situation. He could see that the boy in the chair was starting to shake. He didn't know what was going to happen.

The woman was glaring darkly and huffed. "I'll be back to pull my daughter out of this place." She then left. Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she was gone.

The doctor looked at them. "I'll make sure that she can't come in again." He then walked out. He wasn't going to let any patient be harassed. The nurse finished what she was doing and left as well.

Jesse sighed. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know that she would show up. I didn't even know that they were in town. I probably wouldn't have come here if I had known that they were in London. Thank you so much for your help, Remus." Remus nodded. He wasn't sure what to say, but he got a feeling that the story that Victor had told him wasn't complete. It was apparent by her mother's behaviour.

He let out a slow breath. "It's all right. I'm glad that I could help. Now, let's spend a bit of time talking. Victor has to go back to school tomorrow. Severus will be over to pick him up in the morning." Victor looked at him. He didn't seem to like the idea of leaving, but he wasn't about to say anything. He was too busy thinking. He had a feeling that there was something more going on.

Jesse smiled. "Yes, let's talk. I would rather focus on something else. Let's talk about Victor's school. I would like to hear about it." Victor watched them some more. Despite what he thought, he had a feeling that there was one person that he could talk to about what he had heard. He had never thought that he could confide in that person, but he was feeling like the man could shed some light on the situation. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. He just hoped that this problem wouldn't add something else to his already full plate. After all, he could only take so much.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. An interesting interaction, at least Remus was willing to help. Later.


	34. Chapter 33

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 33_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,134_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 33

Victor sat in the sitting room of Remus' home. He was waiting for Severus to show up. The doctors still had no idea what was wrong with Jesse. All of their tests were showing that something was wrong, but not what. It was disconcerting for all of the people that were involved. Victor was biting his lip as he thought about what could be wrong with the one person that he had known his whole life.

Remus walked in with someone. Victor's head snapped up and he came face to face with Severus Snape. He knew that he should probably start thinking of the man as his father, but he was still uncomfortable with the thought. Severus cleared his throat. "Are you ready to go?" Victor nodded. He picked up both his stuff and Willow. The little kitten was sticking close to him. She wouldn't leave his side when he was in the house. He knew that the cat was fairly independent at Hogwarts, but she was showing her protective side right then.

Remus gave him a smile. "I'll make sure that you stay up-to-date on Jesse's progress. I'm certain that she'll get better." Severus was looking at Remus. They both knew that it wasn't looking that great for the girl. The truth was that they didn't want to tell Victor that. Plus, they knew that the woman that had shown up was also causing problems. It was to the point that the hospital had security guards posted at Jesse's room. This wasn't standard procedure, but the woman was causing problems. It was to the point that even the hospital administration was worried. They didn't want anything to happen to their patient. Of course, they hadn't told Victor that either.

Victor looked at them. He knew that they were keeping the truth about Jesse from him. He knew that she wasn't looking good. He wasn't going to let them know that fact, but only because he wanted them to think that he was a naïve little child. He wasn't as naïve as they wanted to believe. He nodded. "I understand." He then looked at Severus. "I'm ready to go back." Severus raised an eyebrow at Victor. He found the boy's careful speech interesting. He took Victor's hand and led him to the fireplace.

He then cleared his throat. "We shall be flooing to my quarters instead. Animals aren't fans of apparating." Victor nodded. He had no idea what the floo was. Yet, he wouldn't say that out loud. Severus took the lid off a jar and set it to the side. He then took out the shining dust that was inside the jar. He threw it into the fire and cleared his throat. "Hogwarts, Potion Professor's Quarters." He then dragged Victor in with him. He had a firm grip to keep the boy from falling out of the wrong grate. Victor closed his eyes the moment that they stepped in. He was afraid of being burned. Yet, he noticed that he didn't get burned. He opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. The swirling grates that were passing by made him dizzy.

His feet landed with a sudden jolt on the ground. He would have fallen over, but Severus managed to stop him. He was still holding onto the young man's arm. Once he was certain that Victor was steady, he let him go. Victor stumbled a bit as he worked to regain his footing. He still had his eyes closed. However, he opened them the moment that Willow meowed at him. He looked down at the cat and saw that she didn't look good either. He set her down to let her get control of her own body. The cat stood in place for a moment before shaking her body off. Soot from the fireplace flew off of her fur and she sat down. Victor looked around the room that he was standing in. He knew that he was supposed to be in Severus' quarters.

Severus' rooms were painted a soft beige color. He also had pale green furniture. All in all, it wasn't what he had expected from the rather dark and dour man. He looked up at Severus. Severus raised an eyebrow. "I trust that you'll keep what my rooms look like to yourself." Victor nodded. Severus nodded as well. "Good, now, get going." Victor nodded and walked out with Willow at his heels. He looked around and realized that he was next to the Potions classroom. He found that interesting, but he also kept that thought to himself. He began his walk back towards his dorm.

He only made it a few steps before bumping into someone. He looked and saw that it was Neville. The boy looked a little shaken. Victor frowned. "What's wrong?" Neville looked at him. He had a wide-eyed look on his face. He blinked a few times and slumped to the floor. Victor looked down at him. He saw that the boy was unconscious. He couldn't believe that. He turned around and went right to Severus' rooms. He knew that he couldn't move Neville all the way to the infirmary by himself. He knocked on the door to Severus' rooms.

The door flew open and Victor jumped. Severus looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. He had a scowl on his face. "What is it that you need?" He didn't want to be interrupted. He knew that Victor would have questions, but he wanted to some relaxation right then. Dumbledore had been trying to get some information out of Severus the entire time that the boy was gone. It wasn't making him amiable to doing anything.

Victor looked at him. "Uhm…" He didn't know what to say. He knew that he needed help, but Severus' attitude kind of scared him. He then shook his head. "It's Neville…" He pointed down the hall. Severus sighed and stepped out of his rooms. He followed Victor over to where the boy was. It wasn't that far away, but he didn't like it anyways. He then saw that Neville was unconscious on the ground. He muttered under his breath and cast a spell. Neville began to float.

Severus looked over his shoulder. "Come, we'll take him to the hospital wing." He then began walking. Victor stared at his back for a moment. He then looked down. On the ground was a dark patch. Victor kneeled down and touched it. He lifted his hand to his face. There was nothing there. It was just this strange dark patch. It wasn't even wet. He frowned and shook his head. He then ran after Severus. He would find out what had happened to Neville when they got him to the hospital wing. After all, he was worried about his friend.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter…Hm…Something happened. Later.


	35. Chapter 34

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 34_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,162_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 34

Victor was practically pushed out of the hospital wing the moment that Neville was dropped into Madam Pomfrey's care. Of course, Severus had also been pushed out as well. He had been given the time to at least explain what he knew. Victor was biting his lip as he wanted to know how his friend was doing. He looked up at Severus. The man was also staring at the door. Victor kind of wondered what the man was worrying about. He didn't think that Severus cared about Neville. Then again, he wasn't sure whether or not Severus cared about him.

Severus finally looked at Victor. "What happened here…I think it relates to what I've been worrying about. We need to talk about what I found out while you were gone." Victor frowned, but he nodded as well. He wondered what it was that Severus was talking about. He then stalled as a sound met his ears. He hadn't thought a lot about anything that was going on in the school. His worry for Jesse had overrode anything that he might have thought of. The fact that he should have thought about the werewolf tribe didn't even occur to him either. It was all too much at times.

Severus set a hand on Victor's shoulder and began to lead him down the hallway. He was going to move as quickly as possible. Yet, they didn't get very far. A familiar old man caught their attention. Dumbledore came out with a smile still on his face. Victor blinked at him. He wasn't too sure about what he was seeing. It was a little off putting in his opinion. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder why the headmaster was interested in him. He didn't voice those thoughts out loud. He knew that it wasn't the best thing in the world to do. He figured that there was a chance that he could talk to Severus about it at some point. The only problem was that he just didn't know why those thoughts only started to occur to him now.

Severus' hand squeezed his shoulder as he held onto him. Dumbledore continued to smile. "Severus, Mr. Vauxhall, I wished to speak to you about something." Severus' hand didn't let go of Victor. Dumbledore looked at the hand. "Severus, you're going to hurt the boy." Severus dropped the hand. Victor didn't notice any pain.

Victor cleared his throat. "Headmaster, I wanna head teh meh bed. I feel tired." He was hoping that it would work. Dumbledore looked between the two of them. Severus nodded in agreement with Victor. He knew that the boy was likely tired, but he needed to get him out of there. He had been working as hard as he could to keep their relationship a secret. He knew that Dumbledore would use it if Severus said anything about it. That was the last thing that he wanted. He couldn't let anyone else find out.

Dumbledore frowned. "I would like to speak with the both of you right now, but I can understand. You've had quite the trial. I would like to inform you that I was looking into some things to see if I could find any information on who might have abandoned you." That caused Severus to frown even more. He wondered why the man would do that. In fact, he was also curious about what Dumbledore was up to. He knew that Harry Potter not appearing at Hogwarts was worrying the man. He had hoped that the boy would show up.

Severus cleared his throat and got Dumbledore's attention. "I can understand why you would like that, headmaster. However, Mr. Vauxhall is correct, he does need rest. I shall escort him to his dorm." He then took Victor's shoulder again and walked around Dumbledore. The boy went with him. There was something that he didn't understand. Whatever it was, he didn't like the look that Dumbledore was giving them.

Dumbledore frowned, but nodded. He didn't bother to fight with that one. "You're right, Severus. I shall want to talk to Mr. Vauxhall and yourself in the morning." The two nodded and walked off. Once they were out of Dumbledore's sight, Severus led Victor to his rooms. He wanted to talk to the boy. There was something that he wanted to make sure that the boy knew. Plus, he had to talk to him. It was all that he could think about. He led him towards his rooms.

Victor looked up at him. "Wha' is goin' on?" Severus shook his head. He whispered the password and walked in. Victor frowned. He was more and more worried about Severus' silence. He didn't know what was going to be said. He felt like something was going to happen.

Severus closed the door and looked at him. "You need to listen to me. I've told you that we can't allow anyone to find out what we have learned." He stopped there and looked at Victor. The boy nodded. Severus rubbed his eyes. "From what I've found out in the last couple of days, it appears that Dumbledore has plans to sacrifice Harry Potter. If he finds out that you're Harry Potter…We'll be in trouble." Victor stared at him with wide eyes. In his mind, sacrifice meant something bad. That was the last thing that he wanted.

He closed his eyes and sat down. "I wanna leave." Severus looked at him. He didn't know what to say. He was starting to wonder if this was safe. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. He began to think, if he had to leave, he would. As Victor was now, he would be in more danger than before.

He made a quick decision. He knew that he had no choice in this matter. He didn't want things to necessarily go the way that they were. Yet, he had been worried about what he had found out. It didn't matter that he was pretty certain that he couldn't or didn't want to be a parent. He knew that this boy was a part of Lily. That meant that he would protect him. He would do so for Lily. He nodded to himself. "Mr…Victor, I want you to head to your dorm and pack your bags. There is something happening here and I won't allow your mother's sacrifice to be in vain." Victor tilted his head and nodded. He would listen. He just hoped that he wouldn't be leaving Jesse. Severus seemed to sense what he was thinking. "Don't worry, I'll be making some plans. I'll…Speak with Lupin." That was the last thing that he wanted to do as he ushered Victor out of his rooms. However, he knew how important that girl was to Victor. Besides, he had a feeling that he would need all the help that he could get, which is something that he would accept.

A/N: Well, her we are. It looks like Severus is heading things off. Wait to see what's going to happen. Later.


	36. Chapter 35

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 35_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,361_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 35

Severus made his way down to the one place that he hadn't wanted to go to. It was the village of werewolves. He had a safe place for them to go, but he also needed their help. He knew that he would need them in order to do what he was attempting to. Besides, he also had to get a hold of two people. The leader of the group, also called the Alpha, walked over to Severus when he saw the man come up to them. The Alpha had a frown on his face. He knew that the man didn't like them. He had made that abundantly clear on the few interactions that they had with each other.

Severus looked at the man and stood up even straighter. "I need your help." He couldn't believe that he had said that. He didn't want to, but even he knew when he needed to do something. With Dumbledore doing what he was doing, he knew that something was wrong. What he hadn't told Victor was that Madam Pomfrey had done a scan that was very quick before she had kicked him out. Neville had been dosed with a potion that had caused him to act the way that he had. He had collapsed because he had tried to fight it. Severus wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that he wasn't the one that had dosed the boy.

The Alpha looked at Severus. He seemed to be trying to figure out whether Severus was sincere or not. He nodded after a moment of staring at the man. "All right, what do you need help with?" Severus felt a bit of weight come off of his shoulders at that question. He knew that they would be able to help him well enough. In fact, it was late enough in the day that he was doing this. He knew the headmaster's sleep schedule. Victor was waiting on the steps of the school.

Severus glanced over his shoulder at the boy before looking back. "I have a place that you can stay, but I need your help it getting…My son out of here. The headmaster has an unhealthy interest in him. Another student was dosed with a potion and I'm not sure who did it. I think it was to get to my son. However, all I know is that it's not safe for him to be here." Severus had never felt like he did about anyone in the way that he did for Victor. It disturbed him. The stranger part was that the feelings had surfaced only after it became apparent that Victor was in danger. He knew that Dumbledore likely suspected something. In fact, he had a feeling that he had seen the infamous scar through the scars that riddled the boy's forehead. That didn't sit well with Severus at all.

The Alpha stood there with his arms crossed in contemplation. Severus, on the other hand, wondered if it was a good idea to do what he was doing. He knew what the headmaster was doing in Hogwarts. However, he also knew that the man had a plan that would keep a certain item out of the hands of those that that wanted it. The alpha nodded. "We shall help. We were talking about possibly leaving. We don't like being so heavily regulated here. We may have the protection of the headmaster, but that doesn't always mean anything. Where is it that you are asking us to go?" He would do it because of what he had said, but he wanted to make sure that they wouldn't be going somewhere that was worse.

Severus looked at the man after gesturing for Victor to come over. "I have a family home from my mother's side that I was given. The family didn't approve of my mother marrying my father, but I was given a home in Spain anyways. The home is taken care of by a couple of house elves. They don't live anywhere other than that home. I have a portkey that I can allow others to use." He pulled out a length of rope that was big enough for everyone to hold onto. "There is enough land for you to live there. There's also some room for people who need to be indoors." The alpha nodded and barked out an order to the others. They immediately got to work.

The Alpha looked at Severus and Victor. "We thank you. I know that you don't like us, but it's kind of you to help us. I can assume you shall be joining us later?" Severus nodded.

Severus then looked at Victor. "You will be going with them. When you're told to, grab the rope and don't let go of it or Willow." Victor nodded and continued to hold onto his cat. The cat meowed at him. Severus let out a slow breath. "I will meet you at the place that you're going to later." He then quickly rushed off. He had one other place to go. He couldn't believe that he was doing any of this, but he really had no choice.

He reached the edge of the wards and apparated to his new destination, which happened to be Remus' home. He left the alley and started knocking on the door incessantly. It took a moment, but the door opened. Remus frowned at the sight of Severus. "What's the matter? Is something wrong with Victor?" He stepped aside and allowed Severus into his home.

Severus walked in and focused on Remus. The moment that the door was closed, he let out a breath so that he could talk. "Victor is Harry Potter, and apparently my son." Remus blinked at him. That wasn't something that he had expected to hear. Severus shook his head at Remus' somewhat controlled reaction. "Look, the headmaster has an unhealthy interest in Victor. Something happened to Neville Longbottom tonight and I'm getting Victor out of here before it can be done to him."

That seemed to knock Remus out of whatever state that he was in. "What do you mean? I didn't think that you would like him." He wasn't about to allow someone to hurt the boy. He was rather protective of him already, which was before he knew that the boy was Harry Potter.

Severus scowled. "Look, there's not much time, Lupin. Understand this, the boy is likely to be involved in something Dumbledore wants him to be. I think that he knows or at least suspects who the boy is. I found out when I looked up some information with his blood. I'm telling you because the boy trusts you. I don't necessarily like having a son, but I won't let Dumbledore use him. I'm entrusting you with this portkey. If Dumbledore shows up, DO NOT let him see into your mind or find out. You and the girl can join us as soon as you can." He gave Remus his other portkey. He had only two, but it was the only way to get the people where they needed to be. He didn't need the portkeys. He could ask his house elves to take him to his home in Spain.

Remus took it. "Are you certain?" Severus nodded. Remus looked at the portkey. He then looked at Severus again. "I will then listen to you. I know that Jesse won't like being pulled away." Remus then sighed. "Thank you for telling me."

Severus made a noise. "I need to go." He then left as quickly as possible. Once he was out of the place, he walked into the alley. He didn't know about Arianna, though Remus was thinking about what to do in regards to her. In fact, Severus didn't care. He just had to think about one person. He cleared his throat. "Tippy." A house elf appeared and bowed. Severus looked at the creature. "I need to head to the Spain house. There will be others arriving." The house elf nodded and took Severus' hand. He then took them to the destination that Severus had request. After all, time was of the essence.

A/N: Well, here you go. Hope that you liked the chapter. Warning, there is a time jump next. Later.


	37. Chapter 36

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 36_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 974_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 36

Severus landed in the receiving room of his house in Spain with a slight jolt. It appeared as if that the further that you travelled with a house elf, the less it felt like apparating. It was much like a Portkey, minus the complete insanity that a person experienced while travelling by that method. He looked around his home and hoped that he had gotten there before the werewolves had a chance to arrive. He knew that leaving Victor with them was a scary proposition, but it was something that he had no choice in doing. He sighed and rubbed his eyes at the thought of having a tribe of werewolves on his land. In fact, he downright disliked the thought. The only reason that he hadn't protested was because he needed their help. He had to do what he could to protect Victor. They were the people who could help him.

He made his way out of the house and over to the Portkey area that had been set up outside. He was glad that he wouldn't have to worry about receiving them inside his house. A sound of air being displaced met his ears. He looked and saw that the group of werewolves and Victor had arrived at their destination. He nodded and walked forward.

Victor was on the ground heaving from his first time travelling by portkey. It seemed that he didn't like that mode of transportation either. Severus wanted to shake his head in response, but he knew that there wasn't much of a point. Severus pulled a potion out of his robes and held it out to Victor. The boy shook his head. He didn't want to drink the potion after what he had seen happen to Neville.

Severus shook his head. "All right, we'll deal with that later." He looked at the werewolves. "You can set yourself up on this property in whatever manner that you like. Please try to use the woods on this land during the full moon. I won't require it, but it would make things easier." The alpha male nodded and Severus let out a breath. "Tippy." The house elf that had brought him to the house quickly appeared. He looked at the creature. "Please help these people set up whatever they need to." The little creature nodded and Severus helped Victor up. He led the boy into the house. Willow walked along side him. Severus hadn't even realized that the little creature had been placed on the ground at any point in time.

Victor looked at him. "Why yeh take meh away?" He knew what the man had said, but that didn't mean that he completely understood what was going on. This wasn't something that he was particularly involved with. In fact, he wondered what was going to happen to his magical education.

Severus looked at him. "It's my job to protect you. You're my son, even if we're unsure of how to deal with each other." Victor nodded in response to all of this. Their relationship was something that neither of them really understood how to deal with.

Victor nodded and sat down. "I thank yeh then." He then sat on the stairs. He was tired from all that he was dealing with. He worried about Jesse as well. It was bothersome in his mind. He wanted to sleep or spend time with Jesse. That was all that he could really think about.

**England**

Remus stepped into the hospital room that Jesse was in. She looked at him and frowned at the look on his face. He could see that she apparently didn't like whatever look was on his face. That was something that he couldn't help. He sighed. He wondered if she would go with Victor. He had seen that the bond between them was strong, but he wasn't sure if she really would. Plus, it didn't help that he still hadn't figured out how he was going to get Arianna out of Hogwarts. He knew that he couldn't leave her there. Yet, she did have friends that she was didn't necessarily want to leave. That meant that it was her decision on if she wanted to leave or not.

He sighed after a moment and looked at her. "Victor had to be taken out of Hogwarts. The headmaster is planning something that isn't good. So, we had to get him out of the country. I needed to know if you're going to come as well. We can't allow him to be harmed by whatever the headmaster has planned." Jesse stared at him with wide eyes. She hadn't expected to hear something like that. It scared her that the boy that she had taken care of would be in any kind of danger.

She got herself into a sitting position. "Yes, I will go. How are you going to get me out of here?" She knew that getting out of the hospital wouldn't be as easy as they would like. Remus stood there and watched her. He wondered if he should truly tell her what he had planned.

Remus let out a slow breath. "I'm going to do some things that I can't tell you about. Let's just say that it will help. Just plan to be ready to go." He looked at all of the tubes that were attached to her. "Or when the nurses can help you. I have to do one thing before we can go." Jesse nodded. Remus took that as his cue to leave. He didn't like what he was about to do, but he had to. He would get them out of there. How long would they be gone for, he didn't know, but he was going to make sure that everything would be taken care of. That was the most that he could do.

A/N: Well, here's another chapter. Hope that you all enjoy. Later.


	38. Chapter 37

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 37_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 994_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 37

Severus stood in the parlour of his home. He brushed his hair out of his face as he thought over and over again about what had happened. He couldn't believe how their escape was moving forward at a pace that he hadn't expected. Yet, he still hadn't figured out what he was doing to do about Victor's schooling. The boy did have to do something in regards to school. Luckily, he had some time to go over his options. It was something that he had to figure out in order to know what he could do as a job. He knew that he could do some private brewing, but that didn't mean that he wanted to deal with the clientele that he could get. Some of those people could be more annoying than students that blew their cauldrons up all of the time.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes as he thought over everything that was going on. The only problem was that he didn't get long to focus on the situation before a bell went off. It told him that someone had arrived at the port key point. He walked in the direction of that area. He saw Remus and Jesse standing there. The woman looked very weak and Remus was supporting her. Severus went over and helped Remus with the girl. He wanted to get her inside before he called a house elf to come and help. The three were silent as they walked into the building. Severus stopped them from walking. "Tippy." The elf appeared and bowed to Severus. He shook his head. "Tippy, please take this woman and put her in the room next to Victor's. She needs to get some rest." The elf nodded and took Jesse's hand. She was staring at the creature that had appeared before her. It seemed as if she had no idea what to make of the house elf. The two then disappeared with a pop. Severus looked at Remus.

Severus waved a hand and began to walk towards the parlour. Remus silently followed the man. Yet, that only lasted until Remus sighed the moment that they were in the parlour. "I still have to find out what to do about Arianna. She'll be in school until Christmas. I know she's not completely safe there." He shook his head. Severus looked at the man. He had to take a moment to think about the person that Remus was talking about. He then remembered a girl with that particular name. He nodded in response.

Severus picked up a decanter of Brandy. "Would you like some brandy?" Remus shook his head. Severus poured himself a small glass. "You'll have to figure that out on your own. My focus will be making sure that I do what's best for the boy. Right now, I'm not sure what I'm going to do in regards to a job. I don't necessarily need one with the fact that I've saved up money over the years. However, I would need one for my own mental health." He took a sip of the alcoholic liquid.

Remus frowned at Severus. "Well, I'm certain that you'll figure that out. It's something that you're quite good at, Severus." Severus nodded and set his glass on the mantel. He had no idea what to say. The conversation in the room was rather stilted. Neither of them really had much to say. This was all a lot to take in. That was something that they could both understand. Severus had his own reasons for things, just like Remus did. The thing was that neither of them could say anything about such circumstances.

**Upstairs**

Victor heard someone moving and got out of bed. He moved over to his door and opened it. There was a door that was slightly open across from his room. There was also a light within the room. He frowned and walked over. He had no idea who would be in that room. He stuck his head around the door and saw someone sitting in the bed. His eyes bugged out of his head and he immediately ran over and hugged the person that had looked at him after a few moments. His arms wrapped around the woman that was there. He was happier than anything to see Jesse.

She wrapped her own arms around him and smiled. "I'm so glad to see you, Victor. I was worried, especially when Remus told me what was going on." He nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't want to say anything right then. He just wanted to stay in Jesse's arms for a moment. This was the woman that had raised him and meant more to him than someone that he had never met or knew existed.

Victor shifted and sat on the bed. "I'm so glad that yeh are here. I was scared." Jesse reached up and brushed his hair out of his face. Victor let her with a smile on his face. "I just wish that yeh could have been at the school with meh." She nodded and hummed a bit. She wasn't going to talk yet. She wanted him to get it all out of his system. Victor sighed. "I dun know what's gunna happen, Jesse."

Jesse shook her head. "That's to be expected. We will get through it. I'm here for you." Her speech had changed to sound more like it had when she was younger and living with her mother. Victor found it more comforting than the way she usually spoke to him.

Victor nodded. "I know. I will git through it." She nodded. Victor then shifted and climbed under the covers with her. It was almost like when they would rent a bed somewhere and only have enough money for one bed. Jesse pulled him into her arms and held onto him. It was all that they could do. They needed the contact, which was the best thing for them.

A/N: Well, there we go. Hope that you enjoy. There will be a major time jump in the next chapter. Later.


	39. Chapter 38

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 38_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 824_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 38

Victor twirled his wand in between his fingers as he stared at Severus. The man was busy grading the latest test that Victor had completed via the correspondence school. Severus, years earlier, had decided that it was best to minimize the number of people that had access to Victor until the boy could better protect himself. As a result, he had chosen to have Victor homeschooled.

Victor set his wand down and sighed. He was tired of waiting to find out the results of his assignment. He had improved over the years, but that was somewhat expected. After all, he was the only student that his instructor taught. It was a fact that had helped his Ravenclaw traits show through more than they had at Hogwarts. Yet, that particular thought caused him to frown. It had been a long time since he had thought about his short-lived days at Hogwarts.

A throat clearing caught his attention. He looked to see Severus staring at him. The man had one of his eyebrows raised. "You have passed with an E. You should have done better, but I know that you're a little distracted. So, I'll let this E slide." Victor nodded. He was glad that Severus was going to allow that.

Victor nodded. "I'm sorry that I'm distracted, father." The two had gotten comfortable enough around each other to now think of themselves as father and son. Of course, they still had their issues, but that was to be expected. Victor sighed after a moment. "I was just wondering how Jesse was doing. She's been a little sick recently. It doesn't appear to be a relapse, but she hasn't had to her usual stamina." Severus nodded. He had noticed that as well.

A knock on the door distracted the two from their talk. They turned to the door to see who was going to enter. The person would do so without an invitation, though that was because there were only so many people in the house. This was mainly because the people from the werewolf pack would generally stay out of the manor.

The door opened to reveal Remus. He looked at the two of them. "We have a little problem." Severus raised an eyebrow at what Remus had said. The man walked over to Severus and handed the potions master a piece of parchment. Severus saw the handwriting before he even read the words. He groaned and forced himself to focus on the writing in front of him. He knew that he had to do this, though he wanted to throw the paper away. He began to read the words on the parchment.

_Remus,_

_It has come to my attention that you are living in Spain. I wanted to let you know that the Dark Lord has returned. However, I'm certain that you would have heard about it by now. Yet, I have written this letter to inform you of something that I suspect. It seems, according to what I can determine, that Severus is in possession of someone that I'm looking for. The reason that I'm sharing this information with you is because I remember you being this person's guardian. _

_ Anyways, I do hope that you'll help me in locating said individual. This means finding Severus as well, but that's something that I would appreciate. I currently have two vacant positions at Hogwarts. One of those is the ever-vacant Defence against the Dark Arts position. The other is the potions position. I would appreciate if Severus could return to his position, since his previous replacement has disappeared. I would ask Horace, but the man is proving difficult to locate. Either way, I do hope that you'll come and meet with me._

_Sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore_

Severus scowled at the letter. Victor saw the look on his face. He then looked between the two men. "What was that all about?" Severus looked at his son and saw the boy was watching him with an eyebrow raised. All that did was make the scars on his forehead scrunch up. Severus was finding that he was glad that he hadn't had them removed.

Remus shook his head. He could tell that Severus didn't want to say anything. So, this meant that he had to. "It appears as if the headmaster of Hogwarts has found us. He wants us back, especially you. He's acting as if he knows that you were Harry Potter." Severus banished the letter to the fireplace and crossed his arms.

Severus scowled. "I think that we're going to have to do some quick thinking. There's no way to get out of this at the moment. Victor, why don't you go and relax for a bit." The teen nodded. He knew that he was better off doing that. After all, this was something that he didn't want to be in the middle of. He left the adults alone. It was exactly what he needed to do.

A/N: Well, here's the first chapter in the time gap. Hope you enjoyed. Later.


	40. Chapter 39

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 39_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 940_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 39

Severus was scowling as he thought about the letter that Remus had gotten. The statements that the headmaster had made in the letter had him worried. Yet, he knew that they had to do something. He let out a slow breath and walked out of his study. He didn't say anything as he made his way through his home. There were sounds drifting from the sitting room. The sounds were that of laughter. He stuck his head into the room and saw Jesse and Victor sitting on the sofa. The two were laughing. He looked at the young woman. He was glad to see that she was doing better.

He cleared his throat and got the attention of the duo. Victor raised an eyebrow. Jesse looked at him as well. "Hello Severus." She had grown used to the man over the years, though it did help that she could see his relation to Victor. Plus, she was glad that Severus didn't get between her and Victor. He had allowed them to remain close and for her to act like a mother to the teenager.

Severus nodded to her. "Hello, Jesse. I need to speak with the two of you. It appears as if we are will likely be returning to the United Kingdom. I'm not expecting this to be an easy return. Yet, we have to if we want to avoid the headmaster coming for us directly. That is something that I don't want. I'm hoping that I can remain one step ahead of him and throw him off of my supposed compliancy." Victor tilted his head to the side. He nodded after a moment. Jesse was frowning. She wasn't sure what to think of the whole situation. She knew how she had grown to like the home that they were living in. In fact, she even enjoyed listening to the werewolves howling on the full moon. It wasn't as scary a sound as she would have once thought.

It was then that Remus walked in. The man looked even more tired than before. He rubbed his eyes. "The headmaster has gone out of his mind." He didn't want to tell them what was going on. Yet, he knew that he had to. There was something about this situation that they needed to know. He sighed as he let the thoughts travel through his mind. "The way he spoke contradicted the feeling in his letter. It was almost as if he didn't know or truly suspect that Victor was once Harry. He was asking me if there was someway to get to the two of you. The man does know that you two are father and son. That part I could understand." Severus scowled. He wanted to say something.

Severus crossed his arms. "Tell us exactly what happened. We need to know. I need to know. I already believe that we'll need to return to the United Kingdom. I don't like that idea, but I know that the man doesn't give up." He glared at one of the walls. He was ready to curse something. Yet, he was doing what he could to stay in control. He didn't need Victor to see him lose complete control of his temper. He had to remain composed in order for them to figure out a plan.

Remus sighed. "Well…It went like this…"

_Flashback_

Remus walked into the headmaster's office after the man had allowed him to enter. He looked at the wizened old man and cleared his throat. "You wished to see me, headmaster?" He was using this as a question only because he wanted to be careful when around the man.

Dumbledore smiled at Remus. "Yes, I did. I'm glad to see that you got my letter. I wanted to talk to you about something. However, please let me say that I'm glad that you sent me a letter back." Remus wanted the headmaster to get to the point. Dumbledore shook his head. "The thing that I needed to talk to you about, Remus, is that I've come across an interesting piece of paper. The piece of paper confirmed that Severus has a son. We need the two of them back. They would be helpful in fighting Voldemort. Plus, the man will do everything that he can to get Severus back. He wants his potions master." Remus didn't say anything as he continued to listen to the headmaster. He found that he couldn't believe what Dumbledore was saying.

Remus shrugged. "I don't know anything, headmaster." He knew that the headmaster didn't believe that, but he wasn't about to say anything else. In fact, he knew that he needed to get out of there. "Actually, headmaster, I need to go. I have errands that I need to run." He then rushed out as quickly as he could. He knew that the headmaster wanted to say something else. Yet, he knew that he couldn't allow that. He had to get back to Severus and inform him of what was said. It was more important than anything else.

_End Flashback_

Severus made a noise. "So, he doesn't know for certain that the boy is someone else. The way he phrased his letter was a way to cause us to panic." Remus shrugged. The group fell silent. There wasn't much else that they could say. They all knew that something was happening. Yet, that didn't mean that they weren't worried. Victor sighed. Whatever it was that he had heard, he knew that it wasn't good. Jesse was just confused about what was happening. All in all, it seemed as if things would once again be changing.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. Hope that you all enjoyed. Later.


	41. Chapter 40

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 40_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 960_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 40

Severus looked around as his elf bags and bags of stuff into the entrance hall. All of the bags contained the items that everyone wanted to bring with them to the United Kingdom. Severus, on the other hand, was waiting for the others to show up. He knew that he was only waiting for three people, but that didn't mean that he wasn't annoyed at about having to wait. He looked down at the elf when it brought another bag into the entrance hall. The elf was going to be taking their bags to his home on Spinner's End. However, he did have another house already purchased in the Wizarding district of Merlin's Lane. The only problem was that house was currently being redone by his other elf. Severus sighed as he thought about his new home. Merlin's Lane was a Wizarding district that was located in Edinburgh. The truth was that there were more magical districts in the United Kingdom other than Diagon Alley. The districts were hidden in a few of the larger towns.

Victor came down while Remus was still helping Jesse pack. Severus looked at his son. The boy didn't seem to like the idea of leaving the house, though Severus couldn't really blame him. He continued to watch the boy. "I take it that you're ready to leave?" Victor looked at him and nodded.

Victor sighed. That caused Severus to raise an eyebrow. He wondered what the boy was going to say. Victor then crossed his arms. "I don't see why the headmaster thinks that he has the right to upset our lives like this. We left to get away from his…Meddling. Now, we're heading back to try and fend off whatever it is that he has planned. Why are we going back? You said that we're safe here." He returned Severus' raised eyebrow with one of his own. Severus shook his head at the fact that the look made it rather obvious that the two were related.

Severus looked Victor in the eyes. "I've explained this once, Victor. Just because we're safe in this home doesn't mean anything if we leave the grounds. We can't keep ourselves confined to the grounds of this manor. That means that we need to head this off before he manages to catch us here. The man is not going to stop when it comes to getting a hold of you. We need to unsettle his plans." Victor shook his head. He knew that that was the case, but that didn't mean that he had to like the idea. He had been glad to finally have a true home that he had stayed in for a long time. That meant that he was starting to dislike the headmaster.

Remus came down the stairs holding Jesse's hand. She had a bag in her free hand, though that was because she still had trouble trusting the house elves. It wasn't that easy for her to trust the little creatures. She had gotten better, but that didn't stop the feelings of distrust. She looked at Victor. The boy had turned around and walked right over to her. She smiled at him. She was doing quite well right then. Remus let go of her hand. Victor took her hand. She gave him a smile. "I'm doing all right, Victor. You need to stop worrying so much. I'm not sick again. Plus, you don't need to worry about me nearly tripping. After all, you should have realized that it's hard to walk through a house full of boxes." Victor nodded. It was easy to admit since he had had to step around the boxes as well. The elves were only packing up the rooms that they had used. They would then seal the rooms. The reason for that was because Severus was allowing the werewolf tribe to use the house while they were gone.

Remus finished walking down the stairs and joined Severus at the bottom of the steps. "Are we almost ready to leave?" Severus gave a curt nod as he kept his eyes focused on the boy. Remus sighed. He liked to see that Severus cared for Victor. Of course, it was partly because he missed Arianna. She had decided to stay with a friend's family. The family had decided to both pay for her schooling and to let her stay with them. She had been hesitant at first, but Remus had encouraged her. He had known that she had wanted to stay at Hogwarts. Luckily, she was willing to keep tabs on the headmaster and report back to them until she had graduated.

Severus cleared his throat and looked at his elf. "All right, Tippy, keep a tab on the werewolf tribe here. I have allowed them to have access to the house. Also, the leader assured me that they're not going to take advantage of it. They will give you a list of people that plan to stay in the home during the full moon and know that they will need to take the Wolfsbane Potion to do so. I will be providing that." Tippy bowed and began to take the boxes to Spinner's End. He looked at the two and pulled out the portkey that he had created. "Are all of you ready to leave?" The other three nodded and waited for him to be ready. He held out the rope and nodded. They all took it. Jesse held onto Remus, which was what she had to do in order to take the portkey. Severus whispered the activation word and they were whisked off. They were leaving their current home behind and heading towards an unknown situation. Yet, no matter what, they would get through it, they had to.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. They're heading to the United Kingdom once again. Later.


	42. Chapter 41

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 41_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 922_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 41

Victor sighed as he looked around the room that he was standing in. He didn't know the place at all, but it was supposed to be his new home for a little while. They were still waiting to for the house on Merlin's Lane to be finished. However, he took in the room that he was in. The room was a little dim, which was nothing like his room back in Spain. He rubbed his eyes and looked out of the window. The area that the house was in was, in Victor's mind, worse than his once beloved streets of London. It was dirty outside. Victor was glad that the living arrangements were only temporary. He didn't want to be there anymore than Severus did.

Victor's mind went over the fact that it was only Severus and himself in the house. He could recall what had happened to cause the duo to be the house's only occupants. He sat on the bed and got meowed at by his cat. He reached out and scratched behind Willow's ears. He still marvelled at how large she was. She was longer and taller than a normal cat of the Bengal breed. He could also recall what the woman had said all of those years ago about her not being normal, but that didn't change anything. Luckily, the only thing that he did know was that Willow wasn't part Kneazle. Victor finally shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He couldn't believe that he had ended up so distracted. It was something that had become rather commonplace in his mind of late. It appeared as if he couldn't focus on one thing for any length of time.

A knock on his door called his attention away from the jumbled mass that was his thoughts. He cleared his throat. "Come in." The door opened and revealed Severus. He nodded to the man. "Hello, I'm settling in fine if that's what you're wondering about." He wasn't going to tell anyone, especially Severus, about how hard it was for him to keep one train of thought for an extended length of time.

Severus shook his head. "I've come to tell you that there's someone waiting for you in the sitting room." That statement caused Victor to frown. He hadn't been expecting anyone to visit him. He sat there for a moment in an attempt to process what he had been told. He then nodded and stood up to follow Severus out of the room. The truth was that he needed Severus' help in getting around the house. He had a tendency to get a lost.

Severus walked out of the room with Victor following him. The boy didn't want to get lost again. Yet, he still wondered who was visiting him. The only thing that he knew was that everyone that he had met during his short time at Hogwarts was unlikely to remember him. The two walked into the living room through the bookcase that acted as a door. Victor stopped in his tracks. The person that was visiting was Jesse. A smile spread across his face at the sight of the woman. He ran over to her and hugged her. She returned his hug with a smile on her face.

Neither of them noticed Severus leaving the room so that they could talk. The duo was focused on each other. Victor continued to smile at her. "I'm glad to see you, Jesse." He had missed her over the last couple of days. After all, she was staying with Remus at his home, which nobody had known that Remus had kept. The man had apparently been, until recently, renting it out. The tenants had left not long before the headmaster's letter had arrived. Victor let Jesse go. "I wish that you were staying here with me." She shook her head and smiled slightly. She looked him up and down in order to make sure that he was okay. They had seen each other only days earlier, but that didn't change that they wanted to make sure the other was okay. Victor then sighed. "I'm afraid, Jesse. I'm afraid that I'll end up back at that school. I don't want to go there. The people that I knew there wouldn't know me anymore. I'm not even sure who I can trust there."

Jesse reached up and brushed his hair away from his face. "Don't worry so much, Victor. I know that this isn't the most ideal of situations, but you'll get through it. Plus, you're sixteen, you don't need me with you all of the time. This will be good for you and your father." He nodded. He knew that she was right. He knew that it was true, but it didn't make it any easier. He had had her around all of his life. He didn't think that he was ready to not have her there all of the time.

Victor sighed again. He knew that he needed to do something else. "Come on, let's go to the backyard. It's nice there. It's nothing like the rest of the neighbourhood." Jesse nodded and allowed Victor to lead her towards the backyard. The path that he needed to take to get to the backyard was the only one that he could remember. However, leading her there didn't get rid of the bad feeling that he had been having. In fact, seeing Jesse hadn't gotten rid of it either. It was that fact that scared him the most.

A/N: Well, here's the chapter. It's a short chapter that is bridging the gap to the next big thing. Later.


	43. Chapter 42

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 42_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 709_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 42

Victor stared at the spot that Jesse had been standing in only moments earlier. She had left to return to Remus' home. Severus had been the one to take her home, which caused Victor to be left alone in Severus' house. He sighed and sat down on the old armchair that was near the fireplace. He sighed yet again and closed his eyes. He was waiting for Severus to return. That was something that the man should have done a bit more quickly, but he hadn't. That fact left Victor feeling a bit uncomfortable. He didn't like this place and wanted to return to Spain. However, it didn't seem as if things were going to go the way that he wanted them to. This became more apparent the moment that there was a knock on the door when Severus apparated back into the house.

Severus raised an eyebrow and looked at Victor. The boy shrugged. He didn't know anyone other than Arianna, Jesse, and Remus. Those people were in other places. That meant that he had no idea who was on the other side of the door. Severus frowned and carefully made his way towards the door. He slid his wand out of his sleeve before opening it. He didn't want to trust who could be on the other side of the door. He looked around the door and scowled darkly at the sight of a white haired man. He stood in the doorway to keep the man from entering. "What do you want, Dumbledore?" He was going to protect Victor from the man

Dumbledore smiled at Severus. "It has been a few years, Severus. It's good to see you." Severus stood his ground. He didn't want to move out of the way of the man. He was going to keep the man out of his house. Dumbledore watched Severus for a moment. "May I please enter, Severus?" He wouldn't stop smiling, which annoyed Severus.

He shook his head. "No, I won't allow you to enter my home, Dumbledore." He then went to close the door in the man's face. The man set his hand on the door. Severus bit his tongue to keep from saying something that he shouldn't say in front of Victor.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "You and I need to speak, Severus. It is important that we speak about your son. After all, he is Harry Potter." Severus' heart started beating quite hard in his chest. He couldn't believe what the man was saying. Yet, he did wonder how the man was certain about who Victor was.

He let out a slow breath. "We have nothing to speak about, Headmaster. It doesn't concern you who my son may or may not be. Victor is my son. You will leave us be. I can disappear more thoroughly than I did before and you won't find him at all." Severus meant it. He knew of other places that would make it more difficult to find them. He was only doing things a little differently to throw the headmaster off. Apparently he had under estimated the man, which was something that he wouldn't do again.

Dumbledore looked over Severus' shoulder and watched Victor. The boy was standing next to the fireplace. "Hello, Harry, it is good to see you." Those words caused Victor to scowl. He looked so much like Severus when he scowled that it could be a little unnerving. He still denied that he was Harry Potter, though others kept saying that he was. It didn't matter who he had once been, that wasn't who he was now. However, it didn't seem that everyone understood that little fact.

Victor glared. "My name is Victor, not Harry. I'm not this Harry Potter person." He then turned and walked out of the room. He would let Severus deal with the last of this. He had to let him do that. He knew that it was a sign that he trusted the man, which wasn't the easiest thing for Victor to do. It had grown easier in regards to Severus, but he still had those moments that he had trouble doing so. However, he would let Severus take care of it. That was something that he had to do.

A/N: Well, here you go. Dumbledore's appeared and he knows. Later.


	44. Chapter 43

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 43_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 984_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 43

It had been a couple of weeks since Dumbledore had come to Severus' home on Spinner's End. The result of that visit was that both Severus and Victor had remained tense at the thought that he could arrive again. However, the lack of Dumbledore's presence was finally allowing them to start relaxing. This ability to relax was also helped by the fact that they had finally moved into their home on Merlin's Lane.

Yet, in that moment, Victor was looking around the room that was meant to be his. He thought that it was too empty right then. True, there were some boxes and his bed in the room, but he still thought that it lacked the qualities that he had liked about the room he had in Spain. He sighed right as an owl began to tap on his bedroom window. He frowned and stared at the bird that waited for him to open his window.

As Victor stared at the bird, he found that he was somewhat conflicted about what to do. He didn't want to let the bird in, but he knew that he couldn't leave the bird outside. It would attract attention that even a Wizarding district wouldn't accept. He made his way over to the window and opened it. The bird flew in and landed on the chair that was in front of the empty desk. It then held its leg out to Victor. However, Victor wasn't about to touch the letter. He had been given enough lessons about cursed objects from both Remus and Severus to be careful when it came to unusual letters. He walked over to his door and stuck his head out. "Father!" It didn't take long for him to hear quick footsteps coming his way. It took even less time for Severus to appear around the corner and look at Victor with a frown on his face.

Victor stepped out of the way and let Severus enter his room. Victor then pointed at his desk. Severus' eyes felt onto the bird that he began to scowl at the nocturnal avian. He slid his wand out of his sleeve and began to cast spells at both the letter and the owl. The owl screeched in annoyance at Severus' actions. Severus ignored the screech and took the letter from the owl when it was shown to be clean. Victor continued to watch the man. Severus' scowl deepened some more at what was written on the envelope. The bird took off the moment that it could. Severus looked at Victor after it was gone. "It appears as if you've been invited to attend Hogwarts once again." Victor blinked at him. He had been told that there was a possibility that he would be sent a letter. However, he hadn't thought that it would happen.

He shook his head. "I don't want to go. I think it's a bad idea." He shook his head yet again after saying those words. Severus made a noise and set the letter down on the desk. It was then that Willow walked into the room. She had been exploring the house. Her entrance caught Severus' attention for a few moments. He stared at the cat and then looked back at Victor. Victor kneeled down and started to pet his cat. "There was something that I didn't like about the way that the headmaster was acting. I still don't think of myself as Harry Potter. Nothing anyone says has changed that." He then reached up with his hand and touched his scar-ridden forehead.

Severus watched Victor for a moment. He could see that the boy was lost in his own thoughts. In fact, Severus was also thinking about the situation. "I know that you don't like the idea, Victor. However, people that find out will think of you as Harry Potter. The boy, in their minds, saved them all from a darkness that's returned. At least that's what they think. However, you are Victor. We will make sure that you remain who you are." Victor nodded. He knew what Severus was saying. The two had spoken at one point and had decided that he would become Victor Snape. They had decided that this was their best choice when it came to throwing people off from thinking that he was Harry Potter.

Victor sighed and shook his head. "What we're going to be facing is more than I think we should. I know that you said that the headmaster will continue to bother us, but this seems like it could be worse then that." Victor stopped for a moment to think. He seemed to think of something and looked Severus in the eyes. "Will you go back to teaching?" That question had been one that the duo had tried to ignore. Neither of them wanted to be near the headmaster, but even they knew that might be where they needed to go.

Severus looked at the boy. "You know that I will wait for your decision before I make my own. Yet, I will do so if you do decide to return. It's my job to protect you." He held his hand up and stopped Victor from speaking. "I know that you're sixteen and don't need protecting in most ways, but this is a time when having more people around is important. Now, let's relax for the time being. You can make your decision later." He then walked out of the room. That was a typical conversation for the two of them. They never exited a conversation in a way that most people would consider normal. They would just leave when they felt that a conversation was over with. Victor sighed and closed his eyes. He was a little stressed over what had happened, but he was glad that Severus was there for him. That was all that he needed and would ever need.

A/N: Well, here you are. This is a little interlude leading to the next part of the story. It looks as if Victor might be heading back to Hogwarts. Hope that you enjoyed. Later.


	45. Chapter 44

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 44_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 810_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. As stated at the end of the previous chapter, there is a major time jump. So, hope you enjoy. Parts of what happened between the two periods will be shown randomly.

Chapter 44

As it ended up, he didn't get a few weeks to relax. Instead, he only got three days of relaxation in before the arrival of two Hogwarts letters. One was for Severus and the other was for Victor. The letter that Victor had received was his booklist for the coming year. However, he didn't bother to look at it before taking the letter to Severus. The man had taken the letter and started reading it. That was where Victor was right then. He was standing in front of Severus waiting to see what the man was going to say about the books that he was required to get.

It took some time before Severus finished going over the list. He seemed to wait a moment before looking at Victor. The boy was silent, but his eyes were focused on Severus. It appeared as if he was willing to wait for whatever verdict Severus would pass. Severus set the letter on the dining room table. "It seems to me that this list assumes that you'll be taking certain classes. We already have your O.W.L. results, Victor. I made sure of that. You also work all year round to help you get further along." Victor nodded in response to Severus' words.

Since Victor hadn't looked at the letter before giving it to Severus, he had no idea what he was signed up for. The classes that he had taken when being homeschooled were the standard classes at first. It was the majority his electives that weren't standard. This was because Severus had done some research as to what electives were offered at other schools. He had then let Victor choose which ones he was interested in. In the end, Victor had decided to take on four electives. This meant that he didn't like the idea of someone else choosing what he would study. He finally looked at Severus. "What's on the list?"

Severus had a scowl on his face as he shook his head. That scowl told Victor that he wouldn't like the conversation. "Well, for one thing, it appears that you didn't do well enough in Potions to continue on with the subject. They didn't list the books for that class." He stopped and let Victor digest that bit of news. Now, Victor knew he wasn't as good as Severus, but he was good enough to get an O in the subject. In fact, he had taken his O.W.L.s earlier that year and had been given an O. However, that didn't stop the fact that he knew that he was never going to be a potions master.

Victor shook his head. "All right, that sounds a little…Ridiculous. What else is there?" He had a feeling that there was more to the letter than that. While Severus wouldn't like it if Victor didn't continue with Potions, that wouldn't be the only reason that he would be annoyed over his supposed booklist.

Severus crossed his arms. "None of your elective subjects are on the list. Yes, I know that not all of the subjects are taught at Hogwarts. I made that clear to you when you were choosing subjects." He stopped yet again. Victor frowned and thought about what Severus had said. He thought that it was ridiculous. Yes, Severus had told him that some of his choices wouldn't be on the Hogwarts curriculum, but he had wanted to take them. He even knew that Severus would have let him reduce his classes that coming September. However, he had been slowing thinking about what classes he would drop by looking at what they studied in the upper years. So, it bothered him that someone had decided what he would take for him.

Victor sighed. "Well, is there a way to find out what books I would need for the other subjects? I still have thoughts about what I would like to do for the higher-level classes. I just need time to decide."

Severus nodded at Victor's words. He then let a small smile cross his lips as he thought about how Victor wanted to carefully make his decision. That was something that Severus was proud of. He nodded again. "I will find out what books you would need for those other classes. Also, don't forget that we haven't decided to go back yet. There are a lot of things that Dumbledore would do if we did. However, I would want you to continue doing your work to the standards that I have set for you. Am I understood?" Victor nodded. That was something that he understood. Yet, his mind was on the fact that he wouldn't let himself lie down and make rushed decisions. He would take the time and think about what he was going to do. That was a lesson well learned in his life, and he would never forget it.

A/N: Well, here we are. A little bit of a break of all of the stuff happening and a little bit revealed about how Victor was taught. So, hope you all enjoyed. Later.


	46. Chapter 45

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 45_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 716_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. Someone asked a question that needs to be addressed. For those that wonder, Voldemort returned via use of the Philosopher's Stone. It did take him a little while to get everything for his return, and so he was silent for a little while and only more recently came up. The events that led to Ginny getting the diary didn't happen, Sirius Black didn't escape Azkaban because Peter Pettigrew was caught for reasons that will be established later, and the Triwizard's Tournament went without a hitch. So, that's all there is.

Chapter 45

Victor followed Severus through Diagon Alley. It had been years since Victor had visited the alley, but he found that the place hadn't changed at all. It was a place that seemed to inspire a sense of awe when he looked at the various stores. He also thought that there was something about the alley that drew people to it in a way that the Spanish version of Diagon Alley didn't. Yet, one major difference that Victor did note was that the magical Alley in Spain was less hectic than Diagon Alley. This was great for Victor, as the teen had developed a dislike of crowds.

However, Victor ended up bumping into Severus when the man stopped outside of a store rather suddenly. Victor made a noise and looked up. Severus turned around and raised an eyebrow. "It would do to pay attention to where you're going, Victor." The teen nodded. He knew that he should have been paying attention to more than his own thoughts. That distraction had caused him to crash into Severus, which was something that neither of them really liked.

Victor shook his head. "Sorry sir. Where are we going now?" Severus waved his hand towards the sign that was above the door. Victor looked up and saw a sign that said _Flourish and Blotts_. He looked at Severus again. "I take it that you got the list that I asked for?" Severus nodded. He then turned and walked into the store. Victor followed him. He wanted to keep as close to Severus as he could, but that was mainly because he felt like someone was watching him. That was a feeling that he didn't like.

Severus began to walk down one of the aisles in the store. Victor wondered whether or not he should follow the man, but he didn't get a chance to do either. Someone touched his shoulder. He spun around to see who it was. He stopped and stared at the person that had touched him. Behind him stood someone that Victor recognized as Neville Longbottom. The other teen looked almost exactly like he had years earlier, just older and more mature. The baby fat that was common in young children was gone. However, the boy still had that shy demeanour that had originally caught his attention. His hand dropped to his side and he stared at Victor. "V…V…Victor?" Victor nodded in response. He wondered why the boy was stuttering. It hadn't been there years ago.

Victor cleared his throat. "Yes, it's a pleasure to see you again, Neville." Neville stared at Victor as he spoke. Victor wasn't sure why he was staring at him. He knew that it could have been because he hadn't expected to see him. Yet, he also knew that it might be from the fact that he no longer sounded like he once had. Over the past few years, his voice had changed to sound like what other street kids often called the snob voice. The accent that his voice took on had come from listening to both Remus and Severus talk. He listened to them long enough to pick up the accents that they had. Remus sounded like a typical Londoner and Severus had, despite his youth, a more upper crust type of accent. Victor's was a mixture of both.

Neville stared at him. "It's…Been a while." He seemed to get rid of the stutter at that moment. Victor nodded at Neville. He could admit that it had been a while. The last time that he had seen Neville was a bit disturbing to Victor. The image came to Victor's mind. He shook the image out of his head and was about to say something, but a hand came to rest on his shoulder before he could. Neville looked up and visibly swallowed. "Hello…Sir."

Severus nodded to Neville. "Mr. Longbottom. If you'll excuse me, my son and I are busy." He then led Victor off. Victor waved to his old friend and followed Severus. It was an interesting encounter, but there were a few other things that confused him. The encounter made him wonder what was up with Neville. However, he knew that he had other thinks that he needed to worry about. And, no matter what, those things were very important.

A/N: This chapter is being broken into two parts, so part two of Diagon Alley will continue into the next chapter. Also, here's a note on Remus and Severus' accents. I've always kind of pictured the two kind of having accents like that, even though Severus wasn't from an upper crust household. Also, I based how the accents sound off of two people I once knew, one from London and another from somewhere else, never did find out. The two had completely different accents and one had the kind of accent you picture for upper crust aristocracy English and the other had a more what one would think of as average. Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed. Later.


	47. Chapter 46

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 46_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 633_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually. Someone asked a question that needs to be addressed. For those that wonder, Voldemort returned via use of the Philosopher's Stone. It did take him a little while to get everything for his return, and so he was silent for a little while and only more recently came up. The events that led to Ginny getting the diary didn't happen, Sirius Black didn't escape Azkaban because Peter Pettigrew was caught for reasons that will be established later, and the Triwizard's Tournament went without a hitch. So, that's all there is.

Chapter 46

Victor watched as Severus led him around Diagon Alley after leaving Flourish and Blotts. He wasn't sure why Severus felt the need to lead him around, but he wasn't about to say anything. He was going to keep certain thoughts to himself. He looked at Severus when the man stopped in his tracks. A scowl stretched across his face moments later. That scowl got Victor's attention. He was curious as to why the man was scowling like that. There was something wrong. He leaned over to see around Severus. He wanted to see what it was that had the man's attention. He saw that there was a woman with two red-haired children standing only a few feet away from them. Victor stared at them. He was certain that he had seen the male child before. The only problem was that he couldn't remember where Severus then turned and set a hand on Victor's shoulder. He began to move them away from the trio.

However, it didn't seem as if they were going to get that far. A loud female voice stopped them in their tracks. "Oh! Severus!" Severus' back went straight at the sound of the voice. Victor looked at him. He couldn't recall ever seeing his father stiffen like that. Victor could only stare as Severus' eyes darkened. The darkening of the older man's eyes caused Victor to decide that he wasn't going to bring attention onto himself.

Severus' scowl deepened as he turned towards the red-haired woman that was making her way towards them. He glared at the woman. "Mrs. Weasley, I do wonder why you would try to bother me on my day out." He kept his glare trained on the woman. Of course, Victor wanted to nod in agreement with Severus' words. The only issue was that he felt that there was something wrong with the woman. That feeling caused him to want to get away from her as fast as possible.

Yet, The woman seemed to continue on as if nothing was wrong. "It's been quite a while. I hadn't expected to see you here." The scowl on Severus' face got even darker at that statement. However, before Severus could say anything, the woman noticed Victor's presence. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. "Oh, is this your son?" She was looking at Victor in a way that made the teen uncomfortable.

Severus shifted to block the woman's view of Victor. "I don't know how you know that, but I have a feeling that Dumbledore told you. That means that he sent you here." He turned away from the woman and set his hand on Victor's shoulder again. Victor wasn't going to argue with Severus right then. He wanted to get away as much as the older man did. Severus didn't bother to look at the woman as he tightened his hold on Victor's shoulder ever so slightly. "Now, if you will excuse us, we are busy." He then walked away with a scowl still on his face. After a bit of walking, he finally looked at Victor. "We will be cutting this visit short, Victor. The fact that she's here means that someone reported to the headmaster. I want us to be prepared before anything happens. That includes the idea of sending you to Hogwarts again." Victor nodded. He agreed. He didn't like the way the headmaster was doing things. He was pretty certain that the man was doing this because of who he had once been. It was a fact that Victor couldn't stand. Severus shook his head after a moment of silence. "Let's go." The two then left Diagon Alley and went home. After all, there was nothing that they wanted more than to get some silence, which was exactly what they would do.

A/N: Well, here we are. This is the end of the Diagon Alley segment. So, hope you all enjoy. We'll soon find out Victor's decision on if he's returning to Hogwarts or not. Later.


	48. Chapter 47

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 47_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 772_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 47

Lying on the couch, Victor was looking through one of the books that he needed for his sixth year. It had been three days since the trip to Diagon Alley and calm had returned to the house. Yet, Victor had a feeling that their peace only existed because Severus had made it clear to Dumbledore that they would only return to Hogwarts if they were left alone. The past three days of quiet made it appear as if Dumbledore had gotten the message. However, none of that was what Victor was concerned about. He was more concerned about trying to figure out if he was behind in the Hogwarts curriculum. The books that he had looked through caused him to realize that he wasn't behind, which was something that he was glad about. It meant that Severus was a good teacher.

Severus walked into the room and looked at Victor. He could see that the boy was looking through his Transfigurations book. It didn't surprise the man that Victor was doing that. The truth was that Transfigurations wasn't the teen's best subject. Moments later, Victor appeared to sense Severus and looked at the man. "Is something wrong?" Severus raised an eyebrow at the question. There was nothing wrong as far as Severus could tell. The closest thing to a problem was the fact that they had until the thirty-first of August to decide whether or not they would return to Hogwarts. That deadline was something that the headmaster had given to them. It was a decision that bothered Severus, though that was mainly because he felt that Dumbledore had something else planned. All in all, none of that sat well with Severus.

Severus then shook his head in order to get those thoughts out of his mind. "Nothing is the matter. I'm only thinking about our decision. I will let you decide, Victor. If you don't want to go back, then I won't be taking the job. I would only take that job to keep an eye on the headmaster. I know that the man will try anything he can to make you into a martyr. I won't allow him to do that." Victor stared at the man. He still found it odd when Severus would say things like that. Of course, that was mainly because he had spent so many years thinking that Jesse would be his only family. He wasn't sure what to make of the expanded family that he now had. This was made even harder by the fact that Jesse had slightly backed off after they had returned to the United Kingdom. That was a fact that bothered Victor more than he wanted to admit.

Victor sat up and closed the book. "You think Jesse would be okay if I went back?" Along with the fact that she had backed off, he also thought about how she would be affected by him returning to Hogwarts. However, he also knew that she wanted him to continue to get his education. It left him feeling torn between his two choices.

Severus sat next to him. "I know that you're worried, Victor, but she wants you to get your education in this world. I know that she had thought of you getting an education in the Muggle world, but she's not going to take away any shot that you do get." If there was one thing that Severus had learned over the years, it was what Jesse meant to Victor. He knew that Victor didn't want to disappoint her and worried about pulling away from her. It was for that reason that Severus did his best to keep Jesse in Victor's life.

Victor nodded. "I know that she does, but it's hard when she stays away. It feels like she's closer to Remus than me now. I know that's not true..." He let his words die off then. He felt as if he was whining, but it hurt him more to feel like she was pulling away from him. However, he also knew that she was trying to let him learn to rely on Severus. The only problem with that was that she caused Victor to feel like she didn't care anymore.

Severus hugged Victor. "It will be okay. I'll make sure of it. Right now, focus on your upcoming decision and let me deal with Jesse. I'm sure that she'll come and visit you soon." Victor nodded. Severus then stood up and left. He would keep his word and get Jesse to visit Victor. After all, Victor was the most important person there was to him in the entire world.

A/N: Well, here is the chapter. I hope that you all enjoy it. We're getting close to the decision. Hope that you enjoy. Later.


	49. Chapter 48

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 48_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 716_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 48

The thirty-first of August had finally arrived and Victor was in the kitchen with Jesse, Remus, and Severus. The group had gotten together in order to speak about the decision that needed to be made. This meant that everyone had to be aware of what was going on. Luckily, they all knew what was happening. They just needed to share the latest information.

Victor sighed as he watched the other three talk. They hadn't let him say a single thing. That bothered him. However, that was because he had been told that this was his decision. There was also the fact that he had been thinking long and hard about what he was going to do. He had even looked at what was taught at the N.E.W.T. level to help him decide. It was with those thoughts in his mind that he decided to speak up. "Can I please say something?" He spoke loud enough for them to hear him. The three stopped talking and looked at him.

Severus nodded. "I did tell you that it was your decision. What is it that you wish to say?" Victor looked at all three of them. It was as he looked into their faces that he started to feel nervous. He had no idea why he felt that way, but he knew that he had to tell them what he wanted to say regardless of his feelings.

He took a deep breath. "I think that I should return to Hogwarts. I feel that sending me there will allow us to convince people that I'm not Harry Potter. Besides, if the headmaster decides to tell everyone who I was, they would only have what they saw to go by. They wouldn't necessarily connect me with Harry Potter. I know that I've said it before, but I'm not the person that he wants me to be. I'm Victor Vauxhall-Snape. That's all." Severus stared at Victor for a moment. A smile then crossed his face. He appeared to be proud of what Victor had said.

Jesse shifted in her seat. "So, what are you going to do when they demand a DNA test after being told that you're Harry Potter?" Both Remus and Severus shook their heads. That caused Victor to wonder why they were doing that. He knew that there was a Wizarding version of that test. That was something that he had seen several years earlier.

Remus shook his head again. "Well, the only people that would demand something like that would be the Ministry. However, we can get around the problem that the test would cause. All we would need to do is find a witch that's willing to help us by performing a blood adoption on Victor. That would solve the problem. However, it's unlikely to happen, but I'm not going to guarantee that." He then sighed and let the others take in what he had said.

Severus shook his head. "That's something that we need to be ready for. The ministry wasn't happy about Harry Potter not showing up for his first year at Hogwarts." He then looked at Victor. He knew that the boy had a valid reason to be worried. He then nodded. "However, I do agree with Victor. If people see him acting as he does, they're less likely to associate Victor Snape with Harry Potter." A thought then came to his mind and caused him to sigh. "However, we can help throw people off by submitting a copy of his 'birth certificate'. It's not uncommon for foreigners to submit such documents." Remus nodded in agreement.

Jesse sighed. "While I want him to keep learning, I still don't like this. But, it's Victor's decision." She then stood up and left. Victor looked at Severus as she left. The man nodded. Victor got up and went after her.

Severus then looked at Remus. "I need to go and tell the headmaster that I will return. I won't let Victor be alone with him. I don't trust the man near my son." Severus left the room to do as he had said. He knew that he didn't like what Victor had decided, but he was going to do what he could to protect the boy. After all, there was nothing else that he could do.

A/N: Well, Victor has decided to return to Hogwarts. That was kind of a seen coming type of thing. So, hope that you all enjoy. Later.


	50. Chapter 49

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 49_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 617_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 49

Victor looked at Severus. It was the first of September and the two were standing on the Muggle side of King's Cross Station. The man wasn't going to take Victor across the barricade that separated the two sides of the station. Victor then sighed and turned his head to look at the many different people that were in the busy station. He watched as some people were looking at the signs that indicated the platforms while others were rushing around. He then focused on Severus once again. He was curious as to what the man was going to say.

Severus nodded to his son. "I know that you'll get through this, Victor. I don't like the idea of you taking the train, but the school requires that you do so." Victor nodded. He could understand what Severus was getting at. He didn't like the idea of taking the train, but that was only because it created problems that he couldn't foresee.

Victor squared his shoulders. "I wouldn't worry, father. I can make it to the school in one piece. I will see you at the school tonight." Severus nodded and set a hand on Victor's shoulder. He then gave the shoulder a slight squeeze. Victor smiled at him and walked towards the barrier that would allow him to enter Platform nine and three-quarters. He then took a deep breath and quickly walked through the barrier.

He reached the other side of the barrier and stopped. His eyes fell onto the children and parents that were rushing around the platform. The sight of these people had him staring for several moments. They were all living normal lives, but he found that he didn't really care about that fact. That realization left him wondering if he should have been bothered by the fact that he wasn't normal. However, he felt that it didn't really matter.

He walked forward and ignored all of the other people that were milling around. He did see a few of them look in his direction, though he wasn't sure what had drawn their attention. He reached the train and stepped onto it. He then stopped when a person stepped in front of him. He tried not to sigh as he saw a person that he could only vaguely recall. The person was a girl with bushy brown hair. He stared at her with one of his eyebrows raised.

She stared at him. "Who are you?" He blinked at her and tried not to shake his head. He wasn't surprised that she didn't remember him. He had gone out of his way to avoid her, though he also knew that he had changed quite a bit from when he was an eleven-year-old. Plus, he wasn't the bedraggled young street rat that had only been at Hogwarts for a very short time.

He shook his head. "That is a rather rude question. I will not answer it. You will find out who I am later." He then stepped around her and made his way through the corridor of the train. He wasn't in the mood to listen to the girl's bossy tone of voice. He then looked around and saw an empty compartment. He walked into it and nodded. He slid the compartment door closed and sat on the seat closest to the window. He knew that this was going to be a long train ride, but he hadn't expected to be confronted the moment that he set foot on the Hogwarts Express. Yet, he had managed to get away from the girl. This left him needing to focus on what he had planned to happen. After all, they needed some things to go as planned.

A/N: Well, here you go. Part one of two of the train ride chapters. Victor's on his way back to Hogwarts. Later.


	51. Chapter 50

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 50_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 778_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

Chapter 50

Victor sighed as his head came to rest upon the seat that he was sitting on. He was concerned about his run in with someone that he believed to be rather rude. While he had believed that there would be more people like her at Hogwarts, there was something about the girl that had really bothered him. He just wasn't sure what it was. He sighed and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He then stood up and started to pace. He had been restless since the train had started moving. Not that he could figure out why. He went to turn around when the door to the compartment opened. He stopped and looked at the door

The person that had opened the door was someone that Victor didn't remember. He blinked as he tried to put a name to the person. He ended up pulling a blank. He tilted his head to the side and continued to stare at the teenager that was in front of him. "Hello?" He normally wouldn't have been the first person to say anything, but he felt as if he had to this time.

The boy nodded after a moment. "Hello, my name is Blaise Zabini." Victor frowned as he thought about the boy's name. The name did sound familiar, but he couldn't recall from where. He stood there for a moment, thinking about the name. He then realized that he had heard the name during the Sorting Feast in his first year.

He returned the nod with one of his own. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Victor…Snape." The decision to have him return to Hogwarts using the name of Snape had been hard for Victor. Of course, this was only because he had to constantly remind himself to say Snape over Vauxhall.

Blaise raised an eyebrow and looked at the empty seat that was across from Victor. The teen returned Blaise's look. He could tell that Blaise wanted to sit, but he wanted the teen to ask for it. Blaise shook his head and smiled. "Would you mind if I sit here? I would prefer to not listen to Malfoy or Parkinson talk." He stopped speaking and looked at Victor. He then looked the teen up and down. "I also would like to speak with you." Victor stared at Blaise for a bit. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that.

Victor then nodded after a moment. "Yes, you can sit here. Also, why do you want to talk to me?" He watched as Blaise sat on the bench that was across from him. The teen then gestured for Victor to sit as well. Victor stood there for a moment and stared at the teen. He then sat down. He crossed his arms and waited for Blaise to answer his question.

Blaise laughed and smiled again. "Oh, nothing major. I just wanted to talk to you." He stopped and looked at his nails. He then looked back at Victor. "You know, I recognized you the moment that I saw you. That mass of scars on your forehead is rather hard to forget." Blaise's words caused Victor to blink. He hadn't expected Blaise to say any of that. In fact, the bit about his scars startled him. A lot of people had a tendency to ignore them.

Victor then nodded and looked out of the window. He wanted to get to the castle as quickly as possible. He felt that too much was happening in such a short space of time. The result of that feeling was that he felt rather unnerved and wanted to close in on himself. However, he knew that he wasn't allowed to do that.

He let out a slow breath and stood up after a moment. He saw Blaise look up at him. He looked at the teen and gave him a small smile. "I'll return in a bit. I need some fresh air." He then walked out before Blaise could say anything else. He leaned against the wall that was between the compartments and let out another slow breath. He stayed there for a moment and kept breathing. He then began to walk down the train when his breathing was under control. He had to take a moment to think over what needed to be done. He had to be ready to begin the plan the moment that he arrived at Hogwarts. He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. While he didn't want to, he turned back towards the compartment. He knew that he had to get through this, but only because this was the easy part.

A/N: Well, here we are. Next we'll be at Hogwarts. Hope that you enjoy. Later.


	52. Chapter 51

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this and the challenge this is based off of was created by the wonderful Severitus, plus the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape that started the whole Harry as a street kid influenced this as well, and I make no money off of this from either the challenge or the influence.**

_Title_: Anonymous Hero_  
Characters_: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Victor Vauxhall, Arianna, Neville Longbottom, and Jesse_  
Pairings_: I won't tell a soul._  
Rating_: M_  
Chapter_: 51_  
Genre:_ Drama/Supernatural_  
Words per Chapter:_ 1,163_  
Warnings_: AU, Severitus' Challenge, street living, language, some violence, relationships, unknown identities and whatever else this demented author manages to think up._  
Summary_: Experiences are what shape people into who they are. What happens when the majority of someone's experiences comes from the streets? One young boy gets left on the streets and in doing so changes the entirety of his life. Without any knowledge of who he really is, he must face a world of magic and rise above it._  
Notes_: this is my own take on the whole idea of Harry growing up on the streets and making it a bit of a Severitus challenge. As with most stories of this nature, it was inspired by the story "Not Myself" by Saerry Snape. This is my own way of making it, via the help of my lovely sister and editor (some of the time) Daeleniel Shadowphyre. So I hope people like it, and I hope it makes sense. Also, yes there will be cockney within this piece. I have my reasons for sticking to as close as I can get to the sound. Don't worry; the dialogue on Victor's end will become more refined, eventually.

^…^: Sorting hat mind speech

Chapter 51

Victor got off of the train and looked around. The place looked as he remembered it. Yet, as he watched the crowd, he saw that were more gaps among the students than before. He shook his head and frowned. Searching the platform for a sign, he tried to figure out where he needed to go. He didn't see anything that told him what to do.

Suddenly, a hand came to rest upon his shoulder and startled him. He spun around to look at the person that had touched him. He was met with the sight of Remus Lupin. Shaking his head, he recalled that the man had been asked to teach at Hogwarts. He stared at the man. Remus gave him a smile. "Hello, Mr. Snape. I have come to take you up to the castle. The headmaster would like to see you before the sorting ceremony starts." Victor nodded. Remus then set his hand on the boy's shoulder and began to lead Victor out of the crowd.

The two reached the carriages without any problems. Victor tried to focus on Remus, but his eyes were drawn to a strange looking horse that was attached to the carriage. The horse was as black as night and looked to be made up of nothing but skin and bones. He then noticed that the creature had red eyes as well. Victor shuddered at the sight of the horse. Remus squeezed his shoulder. He looked up at Remus. The man shook his head and gestured for Victor to enter the carriage. The boy did so.

The door to the carriage closed behind Remus. Victor then focused his attention onto Remus as the carriage began to move. "Do you have any idea what the man wants?" Remus remained silent for several moments.

Remus then sighed and shook his head. "Not really. I can guess what he wants, but that's it." He leaned against his seat. "What I believe he wants from you is to become Harry Potter. Dumbledore would want to convince you to do that. That would be his style." Victor nodded in response. What Remus had said made perfect sense to him.

The two fell silent as the carriage continued towards the school. He didn't want to go and see the headmaster, but he knew that he had no choice. He sighed and rubbed his eyes in response. He then let his mind wander as the carriage continued to move. However, the carriage stopped not long after he began to relax. Victor then sighed and waited for Remus to get out of the carriage. Remus gave him a smile and stepped out of the carriage. Victor sighed yet again and got out as well. He wasn't thrilled with what was about to happen, but he knew that it would happen no matter what. He shook his head and followed the older man up the stairs of the castle. Once inside the castle, they were greeted with the sight of Severus and McGonagall.

McGonagall looked at Victor. "I'm supposed to lead you to the headmaster's office, Mr. Snape. However, it appears as if your father will be coming along." She shot the older Snape a look. Severus ignored the woman and looked at his son.

Severus then looked at the older woman. "I have my reasons for that, Minerva. My son can be rather nervous when meeting people like the headmaster." He then turned and walked off. Victor followed him. Looking over his shoulder, Victor saw that McGonagall was walking behind them. He looked back at his father. Severus looked at him. "Do not worry, Victor. The headmaster is going to try and have you resorted. I believe that he wants you to be a Gryffindor." Victor nodded.

Severus arrived at the stone gargoyle and gave it the password. He then set a hand on Victor's shoulder and led him to the staircase. The two let the stairs move them towards the headmaster's office. Victor closed his eyes and let the stairs carry him up, but he had to open them only moments later. This was because the stairs made him sick when he had his eyes closed. Severus knocked on the door at the top of the staircase. A voice told them to enter.

The two walked in and saw Dumbledore looking at them with a smile on his face. "Ah, there you are. I wanted to give you a private sorting, Mr. Snape." Victor nodded. Since he had been sorted before, he wondered why the man wanted him to wear the hat again. Dumbledore waved for Victor to sit in a chair. He did so.

The headmaster picked up the hat that had been sitting on his desk and handed it to McGonagall. That shocked Victor. He hadn't seen the man move. The hat came to rest over his eyes. He blinked and wondered just how large Godric Gryffindor's head had been. Suddenly, a noise in his head caught his attention. ^Hm…Here we are again, Mr. Snape. Yes, I know who you are. However, I do not see why the headmaster wants me to sort you again. While you have changed, I still believe that you are a Ravenclaw.^ It was then that Victor wondered why the hat had chosen Ravenclaw in the first place.

He continued to sit there, waiting for the Sorting Hat to do something. Another noise in his head forced him to pay attention. ^Why? You want to know why? Because you're more like what Rowena wanted. You have enough willpower to not fall into the pressures that come with being a Ravenclaw. You see, many of the students start off being like you. They are intelligent, wanting to learn, wanting to know everything, but they do not rely on books alone. That was what she wanted. The problem is that the stigma of Ravenclaw ends up changing them into the people that you saw. I sorted you into that house because you can help to bring the house back to what it's supposed to be.^ The Sorting Hat then fell silent.

The Hat shifted a bit. "I already sorted this boy, Dumbledore. I don't care what you want. He is a Ravenclaw. Besides, you know as well as I do that the boy can't change houses." The hat was then removed from Victor's head. He blinked as his eyes readjusted to the light. It had been somewhat dark under the hat.

The headmaster smiled. "I don't know what you're speaking about." He then looked at Victor. "I just wanted to see if you had become more like your father, Mr. Snape." Dumbledore then turned his attention onto Severus. "You two can go. I need to speak with Minerva." Victor nodded and stood up. Severus led him out of the office.

Severus looked at Victor. "Be careful." Victor nodded in response. He had no intention of being anything other than careful. After all, being careful was always a good idea.

A/N: Well, here we are. Hogwarts has returned, and Dumbledore is definitely up to something. Hope that you all enjoyed. Later.


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